There’s a high conversion rate for European-funded climate skeptics running for the Senate.Photo: Ben KlemmThe way things have been going in the U.S. Senate, you wouldn’t think enemies of climate change legislation (and of the science itself) would need any extra help. However, an analysis [PDF] by Climate Action Network Europe found that big European polluters such as BP are helping fund climate zombies running for the Senate.
The CANE report said the companies, including BP, BASF, Bayer and Solvay, which are some of Europe’s biggest emitters, had collectively donated $240,200 to senators who blocked action on global warming – more even than the $217,000 the oil billionaires and Tea Party bankrollers, David and Charles Koch, have donated to Senate campaigns. [Guardian]
The biggest giver was the German pharmaceutical company Bayer, who gave $108,100 to senators. And the largest beneficiary wasn’t even the infamous climate denier James Inhofe (R-Okla.), but Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) who pulled in $47,500 from seven of the eight companies. [Politico]
And in other green news:
No, no, a thousand times, no!: A new Los Angeles Times/USC poll shows Proposition 23, which would suspend California’s landmark greenhouse-gas law, is trailing 48 to 32 percent among likely voters. [Los Angeles Times]
Ebb and blow: The wind industry warns Republicans to stop airing ads saying that renewable energy programs in the stimulus law are creating jobs in China. [The Hill]
Rare form: With China’s temporary ban on rare earth metal exports, Japan is turning to “urban mining” (i.e. recycling, but more hipster-sounding). [Huffington Post]
A ploy named sue: The Center for Biological Diversity has sued the Interior Department to reinstate the moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf. It argues that more study is needed on the long-term impact of the disaster. [The Hill]
Know the drill: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is looking at a plan which would enable it to track data from offshore oil rigs in real time instead of relying solely on on-site inspections. [Houston Chronicle]
Craptacular: A Sacramento-based company is turning sewage into biodegradable plastic. [Discovery News]
No-land: Greenland is melting at a record pace this year, 25 to 50 percent higher than normal. [Climate Progress]
He’s a super-freak: Glenn Beck’s Top 10 Anti-Environment Freak Outs [Ecopolitology]
