Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Politics in a warming world: introduction
- 2 Existing approaches: problems and limitations
- 3 Knowledge, frames and the scientific community
- 4 Climate of opinion: the agenda-setting role of the mass media
- 5 Climate for business: the political influence of the fossil fuel lobbies
- 6 Climate for change: environmental NGOs
- 7 Conclusion: states, NGOs and the future of global climate politics
- Appendix A List of abbreviations
- Appendix B Chronology of the international response to the issue of climate change
- References
- Index
5 - Climate for business: the political influence of the fossil fuel lobbies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Politics in a warming world: introduction
- 2 Existing approaches: problems and limitations
- 3 Knowledge, frames and the scientific community
- 4 Climate of opinion: the agenda-setting role of the mass media
- 5 Climate for business: the political influence of the fossil fuel lobbies
- 6 Climate for change: environmental NGOs
- 7 Conclusion: states, NGOs and the future of global climate politics
- Appendix A List of abbreviations
- Appendix B Chronology of the international response to the issue of climate change
- References
- Index
Summary
Industry's involvement is a critical factor in the policy deliberations relating to climate change. It is industry that will meet the growing demands of consumers for goods and services. It is industry that develops and disseminates most of the world's technology. It is industry and the private financial community that marshal most of the financial resources that fund the world's economic growth. It is industry that develops, finances and manages most of the investments that enhance and protect the environment. It is industry, therefore, that will be called upon to implement and finance a substantial part of governments’ climate change policies.
(International Chamber of Commerce 1995)Introduction
In many ways the actions of large industries will determine for decades to come the timing, nature and volume of global greenhouse gas emissions (Schwartz et al. 1992). According to the Business Council for Sustainable Development's figures, ‘Industry accounts for more than one third of energy consumed world-wide and uses more energy than any other end-user in industrialised and newly industrialising economies’ (Schmidheiny 1992:43). The success of government efforts to forestall the threat of climate change will therefore depend on cooperation with industry. As Levy (1997:56) puts it, ‘if an agreement cannot be crafted that gains the consent of major affected industries, there will likely be no agreement at all’. This fact alone makes analysis of the role of industry in climate politics pertinent.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Climate for ChangeNon-State Actors and the Global Politics of the Greenhouse, pp. 96 - 122Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2000
- 1
- Cited by