The COVID-19 Crisis and Climate Lobbying

An InfluenceMap Briefing

April 2nd, 2020

The COVID-19 Crisis and Climate Lobbying

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See coverage in Financial Times, citywire, edie (UK), DeSmog, Renew Economy, Bioplastics News, The Guardian, Deutsche Welle, The Ecologist, Vice, Vox.

The COVID-19 pandemic has required dramatic action on a global scale to limit its toll on human health. The introduction of extreme social distancing rules, travel restrictions and other measures has meant some forms of economic activity have almost ceased, threatening jobs and livelihoods. This, in turn, has led many governments to make massive, rapid disbursements of financial aid for individuals and businesses.

Corporate lobbyists have been highly active in this chaos. Much of this lobbying activity is for immediate relief for the worst hit industries and businesses, particularly in hospitality and other services sectors, which employ large numbers of people. However, another trend emerging relating to the climate emergency is the use of the COVID-19 crisis by lobbyists to advocate in a manner counter to the Paris Agreement.

In this briefing, InfluenceMap looks at evidence in two areas on the COVID-19 crisis' intersection with climate lobbying.

  • Lobbying for financial interventions by governments that are either specifically advantageous for fossil fuel production and/or contrary to science-based advice from the IPCC on climate.
  • Lobbying for climate deregulation, including efforts to delay or dilute planned climate motivated policy strands.

Trends are summarized in the attached download, with key examples set out in detail. InfluenceMap will continue to monitor and report on this trend as it develops and provide media, investor and campaign group focused updates.

About InfluenceMap

InfluenceMap is a non-profit think tank providing objective and evidence-based analysis of how companies and financial institutions are impacting the climate and biodiversity crises. Our company profiles and other content are used extensively by a range of actors including investors, the media, NGOs, policymakers, and the corporate sector. InfluenceMap does not advocate or take positions on government policy. All our assessments are made against accepted benchmarks, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Our content is open source and free to view and use (https://influencemap.org/terms).

Downloads

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