A New "War" on Climate Change

As if the "war on drugs" the "war on terror " is not enough, we are soon to be treated to a new "world wide war on climate change" if the Intergovernmental panel on climate change IPCC gets its way. The former "wars" have been so successful in increasing the power of politicians and lining the pockets of special interest groups that the newest strategy is sure to please a whole new gaggle of parasites. One of the major players who plans on benefiting from the latest outrage is the San Francisco (where else?) based eco nazi organization by the name of AS You Sow.

When it comes to health and environmental issues, As You Sow – whose slogan is “Planting Seeds for Social Change” –­ is clever. It doesn’t mire itself in time-consuming debate about whether scientific data indicate that particular consumer products may be harmful to health or the environment, or whether product benefits are outweighed by whatever risks they may entail.

Bypassing scientific controversy, As You Sow pretends as if no debate exists in targeting business prey that would rather quietly – and, ultimately, futilely – appease the group than risk attack. In 2005, As You Sow filed a shareholder resolution on global warming with the financial services giant JPMorgan Chase & Co. In return for withdrawal of the resolution, the bank announced that it would lobby for global warming regulations. Though the CEO apparently thought that settling with As You Sow would make the controversy vanish, a shareholder group that I am affiliated with spotlighted the embarrassing capitulation at the bank’s annual meeting and forced the bank to reverse its position on global warming lobbying.