A new report by Greenpeace shows that Koch Industries, one of America’s largest corporations, has become a “financial kingpin of climate science denial and clean energy opposition.” The report outlines how the company has spent over $48.5 million since 1997 to fund the climate denial machine.
Most Americans have never heard of Koch Industries, one of the largest private corporations in the country, because it has no Koch-branded consumer products, sells no shares on the stock market and has few of the disclosure requirements of a public company. Although Koch intentionally stays out of the public eye, it is now playing a quiet but dominant role in a high-profile national policy debate on global warming.
Greenpeace goes on to say:
This private, out-of-sight corporation is now a partner to ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute and other donors that support organizations and front-groups opposing progressive clean energy and climate policy. In fact, Koch has out-spent ExxonMobil in funding these groups in recent years. From 2005 to 2008, ExxonMobil spent $8.9 million while the Koch Industries-controlled foundations contributed $24.9 million in funding to organizations of the ‘climate denial machine’.
This report focuses on activities by Koch Industries and its affiliates, as well as the family—and company—controlled foundations which fund organizations that spread inaccurate and misleading information about climate science and clean energy policies. Included is research on the company and the Koch brothers, two of the top ten richest people in the United States.
Check out this new “Polluter Harmony” video that shows the match between Koch industries and American Senator Blanche Lincoln:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtFN8MTjHd0&feature=player_embedded]
Click here to download the Greenpeace report.
Click here to read Brendan DeMelle’s article on The Huffington Post.
