Far Right attempts to undermine Earth Summit
Lobbyists from leading far right-wing organisations including Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, American Enterprise Institute and Competitive Enterprise Institute — many who have received substantial funding from corporations such as ExxonMobil — have joined forces to sabotage the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. Friends of the Earth has obtained a letter to President Bush sent by 31 groups and individuals applauding the President's decision not to attend and efforts by his negotiators to prevent any progress on climate change negotiations or any new multilateral agreements. "This letter highlights the disturbing connection between President Bush and the corporate polluters who helped finance his bid for the White House", said Friends of the Earth President, Dr Brent Blackwelder. "Environmentally and socially irresponsible corporations and their operatives are lobbying the Administration to snub the Summit and halt any progress toward addressing environmental accountability and global climate change." The letter, dated August 2, 2002, says "we applaud your decision not to attend the Summit in person... Even more than the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, the Johannesburg Summit will provide a global media stage for many of the most irresponsible and destructive elements involved in critical international economic and environmental issues. "Your presence would only help to publicise and make more credible various anti-freedom, anti-people, anti-globalisation, and anti-Western agendas." Asserting that "potential" global warming is "the least important global environmental issue", the letter calls upon US negotiators attending the summit in Johannesburg to "keep it off the table and out of the spotlight." "Given the recent revelations of corporate fraud, the case for a binding international agreement that would hold corporations accountable for their environmentally destructive actions has never been stronger", added Blackwelder. Signatories include: * Fred L Smith and Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute — Funding from Exxon $280,000 in 2001; * Craig Rucker from the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) — Funding from ExxonMobil $35,000 in 2001; * Steven Hayward from the American Enterprise Institute — Funding from ExxonMobil $230,000; * Terrence Scanlon from the Capital Research Center — Funding from ExxonMobil $25,000 in 2001; * Joseph L Bast of the Heartland Institute — funding from ExxonMobil $90,000 in 2001; * Deroy Murdock of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation (AERF) — Funding from ExxonMobil $150,000 in 2001; * H Stirling Burnett of the National Center for Policy Analysis — Funding from ExxonMobil $20,000 in 2001. (All funding details come from http://www2.exxonmobil.com/files/corporate/public_policy1.pdf an official ExxonMobil document) Friends of the Earth International is calling on world leaders at the WSSD to institute binding global corporate accountability measures, including rights for citizens and communities to seek legal redress, and duties for corporations to disclose their environmental and social impacts and performance. With over 75 people from the Friends of the Earth International in attendance, Friends of the Earth will have one of the largest environmental delegations at the summit. Friends of the Earth is collecting messages from people all over the world on its Radio Earth Summit website (http://www.radioearthsummit.org) and will deliver these to governments in an art action entitled, "Hear Our Voice" in Johannesburg. Link to text of letter For more information, visit http://www.foe.org/international