Sunday, June 06, 2010

Corporate Interest or Collective Interest - the choice is ours

The failure of governments to make progress on a new climate deal in Copenhagen last December had already prompted some debate among activists about whether a more confrontational style of campaigning was needed to stir the world from its torpor.

SHOOT: I've heard many clever people, like David Attenborough, saying that you can't get people to change by confronting them, by some sort of negative communication. When things are this bad, you have to, and by you I mean all consumers who care about this planet. Failure to confront corporates means being enslaved to them in the manner of the all powerful corporates portrayed in Cameron's AVATAR and ALIENS.
clipped from www.economist.com
However much BP works with NGOs, it will find it impossible to move beyond petroleum, with all its attendant environmental problems. Likewise, PepsiCo will struggle to live up to the spirit of its pledge to promote healthier living while the bulk of its profits comes from fattening drinks and snacks.

The spill also highlights the question of whether NGOs should accept money for the advice they give to companies. For organisations such as the Nature Conservancy, which protects ecologically sensitive spots by buying them or persuading others to set them aside, businesses are a big source of income. But partnerships with grubby firms risk turning off its million-odd individual donors.

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