Greenwashing

By
Dr. Luis Contreras
-
1430

Greenhouse gas emissions are invisible, but green is the color of money

Marketing and advertising companies look for ways to position their products in the most appealing way. Green labels like natural, organic, eco-friendly or clean encourage consumers to buy “environmentally friendly products.” Green words are also used to deceive. Greening or greenwashing products is illegal.

In 2012, the Fiji Water Company, LLC lost a lawsuit for claiming to be environmentally friendly and superior. Fiji “natural artesian water” products are sold at a premium price, but the manufacturing, production, packing, and distribution causes as much, if not more, of an adverse environmental impact when compared with other products.

The truth matters

The opposite of greenwashing is telling the truth. Subsidies for fossil fuels, tax benefits for pipelines, and removing low emission vehicle regulations to increase consumption of gasoline on one hand, and federal tariffs and state fees on distributed solar systems on the other, have created an uneven playing field.

Last Sunday, Fareed Zakaria said Bernie Sanders was using “magical thinking” on climate. He said Sanders would ban fracking within five years to stop burning and exporting natural gas. Zakaria claimed the U.S. has reduced carbon emissions using NG for electric generation, but in fact, U.S. products made in China have lowered U.S. carbon emissions. He also said solar and wind accounts for 3 percent of the energy used in the United States. Zakaria is repeating the fossil fuel industry storyline. It was disappointing to see Zakaria greenwash fracking.

What Sanders wants to do won’t be easy, and magic won’t solve the climate emergency. Here are the facts: The carbon dioxide emissions from burning NG exceed burning coal for the end to end carbon footprint. Methane leaks from the wells to the point of combustion are real, invisible to the naked eye, massive, and deadly. With an accumulated concentration of 416 ppm in the atmosphere, additional carbon emissions would heat up the planet beyond 2°C at 450 ppm in a few years.

One trillion trees?

At the 2020 World Economic Forum Davos summit, our “green” president promised to join the trillion trees campaign. One trillion is yuge, equal to one million millions! Trump must have been thinking of the 2020 FY budget deficit. He did not say how many, when, where, or how these trees would be planted in the U.S. – climate greenwashing is immoral with illicit executive orders to roll back environmental protections on clean air and water, treating pipeline protestors as criminals.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman [R-AR], the Patron Saint of loggers, sawmills and pulp mills, drafted the Trillion Tree Act of 2020. The Resilient National Forests Act of 2019, aka the Deforestation Act, is a greenwashing conflict.

Trump’s re-election campaign may not depend on a made-up “roaring” economy, but on his two-part climate solution. Plant a few trees and export natural gas.

As the world burns

At the Davos summit, the Oil Majors came up with their own green climate solution. In 2017, BP’s CEO Bob Dudley took home $13.4 million, Cabot Oil & Gas CEO Dan Dinges $12.4 million, and Exxon’s CEO Darren Woods $17.5 million. To keep investors happily funding shale plays, they will offer higher returns to shareholders. To keep the demand for fossil fuels growing, greenwashing advertising will claim to offer methane as low greenhouse gas emissions fuel, paying top academic institutions for natural gas research.

Please see the fossil fuel lobbying group, www.EnergyforProgress.org where research from the University of Texas at Austin is mentioned as if endorsing burning methane.

Vote to get out of this mess

Selling methane to transition away from burning coal for electricity generation is a green bridge to extinction. The Sunrise Movement and other organizations are endorsing climate solutions.

Democrat William Hanson is challenging Bruce Westerman. Dan Whitfield, an Independent candidate, will take on Tom Cotton. Democrat Celeste Williams is going after Steve Womack.

“It is only when our connection to nature is strong that we truly understand our innate kinship with all other life forms and deeply cherish their protection,” David Suzuki. Dr. Suzuki is a living treasure, “old enough to speak the truth,” he says. Please visit www.DavidSuzuki.org and learn from the best.

Dr. Luis Contreras

14 COMMENTS

  6. So who is API?

    API says it is the Future of Energy … but is all about fracking and natural gas

    American Petrolum Institute, the largest Oil & Gas organization, and all the industries related to drilling and pipelines

    Please see the livestream of State of American Energy 2020.

    https://youtu.be/Rzx_Ab_kqI4

  8. 2015: Bruce Westerman says: to save the forests, cut the trees!

    Scientific thinning = sell timber

    “Recent headlines show that our forests are in terrible shape – 8.8 million acres have burned this year,” Westerman said. “… Emergency fire spending has already topped $700 million this year and it is still growing.

    We have a problem that is greatly decreasing and impairing the value of the forests for the next generation. I worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass House Resolution 2647, the Resilient Federal Forests Act back in July.

    https://youtu.be/m6m1dRO2Ppk?t=21

  12. 2015 – Fareed Zakaria downplays the dangers of fracking, and celebrates the US carbon economy

    Here is my take: Zakaria is bought and paid for by big oil, gas and the Council on Foreign Relations.

    Michael Porter, the “Harvard University corporate guru” is paid by Big Oil (and not too bright). Harvard is funded by corporate America, funded by Big Oil, funded by pension funds … The US Congress, investment banks and many others are in the loop!

    Fareed was unprepared, did not challenge Porter or asked meaningful questions

    Fareed bought the Snake-Oil tale and was mesmerized by Porter

    https://crooksandliars.com/2015/06/fareed-zakaria-helps-downplay-dangers

  14. Fareed Zakaria: Bernie Sanders’ magical thinking on climate

    Here is my take: Zakaria downplays the cost and dangers of fracking, he is bought and paid for by Big oil & gas, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

    Don’t take my word, see what he says:

    https://youtu.be/Nc6xxnosVYA

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