Climate Criminals At Climate Conference Exposed

From Climate conference halls to the streets of Paris, and from Facebook to twitter; everywhere, usually bold consensus is trending. The world is sharing the information about the “Dirtiest Fossil Fuel Lobbyists behind the doors of COP21.”

As the world is calling for a commitment to a 100% clean future at the climate summit in Paris, a group of climate criminals is trying to stop that deal. Their tactics are different, but their end game is the same: shift the focus away from emissions targets and keep fossil fuels at the centre of human development.

Some shamelessly argue that more money should be spent on coal - the worst carbon-polluting fuel. Most get paid by fossil fuel companies like Exxon to speak against climate action. Some of them have launched extreme public attacks against scientists and others and their activities must be watched if the goals of achieving zero carbon emissions by 2100 will be achieved.

The news breaks up that global greenhouse gas emission reached a plateau in 2014 and suddenly a cadre of miscellaneous announcements from both countries and companies at the Paris climate summit jump into conclusions that renewable energy’s pivotal role in the future global economy has started being felt.

While this must be an indispensible part of truth as renewable energy currently forms nearly a quarter of global energy production, wary activities dirty energy lobbyists buried with climate angels in Paris must be double checked. Parties will need to think twice before committing to any sort of agreement under blurred information that could be sham.

Benjamin Sporton, a newly-appointed chief executive of the World Coal Association (WCA), the body that represents the interests of the coal industry has been pointed out among the seven high profile dark-money lobbyists present at climate change conference. Sporton is number one in the list of seven ‘climate criminals’ being exposed.

The allegations of Soperton’s secret agenda solidifies from the point that coal companies are spinning on unending falling coal price and the prospect of a global climate agreement spelling tough times ahead, the World Coal Association's job is to somehow convince the world that it makes sense to keep on burning coal, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel.

The WCA is now arguing that coal is the only realistic way to provide energy to much of the world's poor - a message which may sound generous, but is motivated by self-interest and conveniently ignores the huge impact that climate change will have on the world's poorest people. A word of caution to ministers in Paris: Steer clear of Benjamin Sporton.

Sporton is not alone. He’s being backed by Myron Ebell, a lobbyist and serial climate denier. Vanity Fair describes Myron Ebell as a "policy analyst, soundbite artist, and oil-industry mouthpiece." He is director of the Center of Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) which opposes a global climate deal on principle.

He also chairs the Cooler Heads Coalition, a group of about 30 non-profit organisations formed in 1997 that claims to, "question global warming alarmism and oppose energy rationing policies." CEI is a central component of a network of US think tanks that have thrived on money from the fossil fuel industry, and the tobacco industry before it.

Between 1998 and 2005, CEI received just over $2 million from ExxonMobil, taking $405,000 dollars in 2002 and $270,000 in 2005. Cautionary message to the negotiators: the eloquent brainstorms of statistics must be filtered; in fact ‘ozonated’ before dropping down on the climate documents.

The above two are possibly be among the unknown number of viruses that have smuggled themselves into the negotiation with hidden agendas. Before we know it, our negotiators who exchange congratulatory pats, their orientations should be protected by unveiling the climate ‘viruses’ who can’t survive extinction.