Message From the Editor

The Trump administration is hoping to sneak in a new anti-climate rule for banks before President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office. The proposal would bar large banks from declining to do business with particular industries or groups of companies — a move that could have major implications for a wide array of divestment and boycott campaigns nationwide, including efforts to divest from fossil fuels. Sharon Kelly has the full story.

And speaking of things happening just before Biden takes office, in mid-January the Supreme Court will be hearing a major climate lawsuit brought by Baltimore, Maryland, against nearly two dozen fossil fuel corporations. Baltimore’s lawsuit — like many others at the local level — demands that companies help pay to better protect the city from climate impacts. But to do this, the case must be tried at the local level rather than higher federal courts. The fossil fuel industry wants to change that. Dana Drugmand explains Big Oil’s strategy.

Over in Europe, though, it was announced that an unprecedented climate lawsuit brought by six Portuguese youths is to be fast-tracked at Europe’s highest court. The European Court of Human Rights said the case, which accuses 33 European nations of violating the applicants’ right to life by disregarding the climate emergency, would be granted priority status due to the “importance and urgency of the issues raised.” Campaigners say the decision represents a major step towards a potential landmark judgment. Read all about it here.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor@desmogblog.com. 

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Thanks to all the readers who supported DeSmog’s public interest journalism on Giving Tuesday. There’s still time to pitch in $10 or $20.

Trump Administration Targets Banks Divesting From Fossil Fuels In New Anti-Climate Rule

— By Sharon Kelly (9 min. read) —

A new proposed regulation that would bar large banks from declining to do business with particular industries or groups of companies was released on Friday by the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) — a move that could have major implications for a wide array of divestment and boycott campaigns nationwide, including efforts to divest from fossil fuels.

Although framed as an effort to ensure “fair access” for all businesses to major banks, the rule bars big banks from declining to do business with any particular sector or industry. The Trump administration proposal specifically cited efforts by banks to respond to climate change risks or to comply with the Paris Agreement, saying the rule would put those efforts off-limits.

Here's How Big Oil Wants The Supreme Court to Help Delay and Derail Climate Lawsuits

— By Dana Drugmand (11 min. read) —

On January 19, 2021 — just one day before President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office — the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a climate change accountability lawsuit brought by Baltimore, Maryland, against almost two dozen fossil fuel corporations.

Like over a dozen other climate lawsuits, Baltimore’s case seeks to hold major oil and gas companies including Chevron and ExxonMobil accountable for fueling the climate crisis through the extraction and sale of their products and for spreading climate disinformation and downplaying the dangers of fossil fuels to the public and shareholders in order to boost corporate profits.

‘Major Hurdle’ Cleared As Youth Activists Advance Historic Climate Case

— By Dana Drugmand (4 min. read) —

An unprecedented climate lawsuit brought by six Portuguese youths is to be fast-tracked at Europe’s highest court, it was announced today.

The European Court of Human Rights said the case, which accuses 33 European nations of violating the applicants’ right to life by disregarding the climate emergency, would be granted priority status due to the “importance and urgency of the issues raised”.

This is the first climate lawsuit to be filed with the international court in Strasbourg, France, and campaigners say the decision represents a major step towards a potential landmark judgment. 

Campaigners Put Forth 'Cabinet Climate Test' for President-Elect Biden

— By Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams (4 min. read) —

Advocacy group 350.org released a new guide Thursday to assess how likely President-elect Joe Biden's possible picks for top roles will be “to stand up to the fossil fuel industry to take on the climate crisis.”

The “Cabinet Climate Test” was launched as Biden faces increasing pressure from progressive groups to reject a cabinet members with a track record of putting corporate interests above the public good and those not committed to a transition to a renewable energy-based economy.

The tool also comes as the climate crisis continues to deepen, with the coronavirus-triggered global economic slowdown barely budging CO2 emissions, and as U.S. workers face increasingly precarious economic conditions amid the ongoing pandemic.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: National Association of Manufacturers

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is one of the trade groups that recently submitted a legal brief supporting Big Oil’s attempt to derail Baltimore’s climate lawsuit. NAM describes itself as the largest manufacturing association in the United States and claims to represent “small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states” by working “on the front lines of a wide range of policy battles, from immigration reform and labor relations, to energy and the environment, to trade policy and taxes.”

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database.