Enjoy this post from the SSC Archives.
The public discourse, especially in the current political climate, tends to take extreme positions on practically every issue. Of course climate change and climate change regulation are already hot-button issues, but the act of lobbying itself – approaching elected officials to influence public policy – is often considered dirty politics.
In truth, those of us committed to smart regulations and international cooperation to help reduce the effects of climate change, can benefit from pressing our elected officials to take this issue seriously. With federal, state, and local budgets being crafted now, it’s an ideal time to lobby our elected officials for policies that support climate change. And of course, with 2020 being a presidential election year, climate change is at the forefront of the political agenda with many Democratic candidates calling climate change the “ existential crisis of our times.”
Time for businesses to take action
Apart from voting and individual lobbying efforts, it’s time for business to get involved. According to Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp, “business needs to unleash the most powerful tool they have to fight climate change: their political influence.”
In a 2019 open letter, 11 environmental and sustainability organizations called on business to advocate for policies, at all levels of government, to follow a “science-based climate policy agenda.” The statement also called for companies to adjust their trade associations’ advocacy to align with climate science. The signatories are the heads of BSR, C2ES, CDP, Ceres, Conservation International, Environmental Defense Fund, The Climate Group, The Nature Conservancy, the Union of Concerned Scientists, World Resources Institute, and WWF U.S.
In support of this public plea, the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance — which includes food and consumer products giants Nestle, Unilever, Mars, and Danone — ran the same letter in Roll Call with the message “we agree.” The statement is also building on a similar call to action from 200 investors with more than $6 trillion in assets.
The deck isn’t stacked against the green companies
While some companies pay lip service to going green while actively lobbying against policies that would in fact help to reduce greenhouse emissions, not all lobbying is against climate change. According to a recent study, more than $3.1 billion was spent lobbying on environmental issues between 2009 and 2014, and nearly half of that money was spent by firms lobbying for climate-protecting regulation.
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) “openly supported a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions, and even left the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over the organization’s vociferous opposition to carbon regulation,” and was the second highest spender lobbying on climate change in 2008.
Too few are using the government to help
The study also found that mostly the activist companies – very low emitters with a competitive advantage from increasing regulation – and the worst greenhouse gas emitters (gas, oil, coal, and the like) are primarily the ones taking the fight to state and national legislators. This means that there are hundreds of thousands of organizations that aren’t speaking up at all, allowing the major players to dictate the terms.
Integrate lobbying into your sustainability strategy
As your company develops sustainability strategies, be sure to include lobbying – at the local, regional, or national level – in that strategy. Set the pace as a leader on the issues so you’re not caught playing catch up when legislation is enacted.
Is your organization integrating lobbying and outreach efforts into its sustainability strategy? Let us know where you've seen gains.