ClimateVoices Featuring Dr. Robert Brulle

It’s my pleasure in this issue to interview Dr. Robert Brulle , Visiting Professor of Environment and Society at Brown University, and author of groundbreaking research on trade associations, political activity, and climate change. Dr. Brulle is the author of three books: Agency, Democracy and the Environment: The U.S. Environmental Movement from the Perspective of Critical Theory; co-editor, with David Pellow, of Power, Justice and the Environment; and co-editor, with Riley Dunlap, of Climate Change and Society: Sociological Perspectives. He was awarded the Frederick H. Buttle Distinguished Contribution Award to Environmental Sociology by the American Sociological Association in 2016.

Your recent study found that trade associations spent a whopping $3.4 billion on lobbying and influence between 2008 and 2018, mostly opposing progress on climate policy – expenditures which spanned lobbying, political contributions, advertising and promotion, and grantmaking. What has the impact on climate policy been?

As you say, we found that trade associations spent $3.4 billion on political activities between 2008 and 2018, and that associations generally opposed to climate change action spent an estimated $2 billion, compared to $74.5 million for industries that traditionally support climate action. Our paper did not empirically examine the impacts of this spending on climate policy decisions. I don't know of any papers that can provide empirical evidence of the impact of all of this spending on policy issues. However, it is clear to me that the vast mismatch between the spending efforts of renewable energy trade associations and fossil fuel trade associations gives opponents of climate action a significant advantage in the policy process. Our point in the paper is that we cannot continue to ignore the role and impact of trade associations, and we need more empirical research into the activities of these organizations and their impacts on climate policy.

Beyond sheer spending power, what are the hidden or less understood levers of influence exerted by trade associations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to block climate policy?

First, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is looked to as essentially the "voice" of the business community by members of Congress. With several thousand politically active local chambers of commerce, opposition to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's position is likely to result in significant local political opposition to reelection for any given Congressional representative or Senator. Secondly, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spends significantly in political races. This amplifies its political influence. Finally, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce coordinates its positions with the leading industries impacted by any given policy. So on any given campaign, the efforts of the U.S. Chamber are multiplied by the coordinated efforts of other leading corporations. We know that the major oil corporations coordinate their political campaigns with the U.S. Chamber for maximum effect.

Given the urgency of the latest IPCC report, what can powerful companies do now to play a different, more positive role in supporting climate policy?

I think it is safe to assume that the fossil fuel industry corporations will continue to oppose climate action. There are two other groups of corporations that will need to become more politically engaged in climate politics. First, the renewable energy corporations will need to increase their political efforts. So far, they are only a minor factor in climate politics. As they increase in size, we should expect them to take a larger role. The other group are the corporations that are neither engaged in fossil fuel or renewable energy production such as 微软 and 亚马逊 . While they have established their own internal goals for reducing their carbon emissions, they largely remain out of the fray of climate politics. As Senator Whitehouse has long advocated, they need to use their influence to shift the climate policy position of large trade associations, such as the Chamber of Commerce. So far, his calls have been ignored. So while there are prospects for corporations to play a more positive role in addressing climate change, they have not been realized.

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