Worst European Lobbying Award – Vote for IATA Says TourismScan

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) should be nominated for its deceptive lobbying campaign to avoid CO2 reduction obligations in the aviation sector. Says the international green lobbying group ECOT in their Tourism Scan newsletter.

It carries on: “IATA, the lobby group of Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France and other airlines, has used a combination of greenwash PR and heavy-handed threats to convince EU decision-makers that airlines should be excluded from the EU emissions trading scheme or at least be given free pollution permits if included.”

Tourism Scan says “Aviation is the fastest growing source of CO2 emissions in Europe, but according to the website created on behalf of IATA’s (Enviro.Aero) and adverts in major international newspapers featuring flowers and butterflies, airlines only contribute 2% to global man-made CO2 emissions. This figure dates from 1992 and omits all the other non-CO2 emissions and indirect effects at high altitude, downplaying the real damage being caused by aviation. If these are taken into account, aviation’s global contribution is estimated as between 3–7%, while in the EU, aviation’s contribution to climate change was estimated at between 4.7–11.6% in 2005.”

“As MEPs considered what action to take, airline lobbyists continuously threatened that reduction obligations for the sector would be an economic disaster and would result in legal challenges by other countries. In fact IATA is actively encouraging these legal challenges themselves by lobbying Australia and other governments to take legal action against the EU. IATA’s aggressive lobbying was partly successful: in July 2008 MEPs voted for emissions cuts by airlines of 3-5% from 2012 onwards, providing 85% of the industry’s pollution permits for free.”

“IATA is currently staging an exhibition at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, promoting their misleading information to an even wider audience.”

“Vote for IATA if you object to corporate greenwash and scare-mongering tactics to avoid greenhouse gas emission reductions”

Worst EU Lobbying Award 2008 — Vote Now
WORSTLOBBY

Vote now for the 2008 Worst EU Lobbying Awards — the annual award for deceptive, manipulative or unethical lobbying.

This year you can vote in two categories:

1. The ‘Worst EU Lobbying’ Award for the lobbyist, company or lobby group that in 2008 has employed the most deceptive, misleading, or otherwise problematic lobbying tactics in their attempts to influence EU decision-making.

2. The special ‘Worst Conflict of Interest’ Award for the MEP, Commissioner or Commission official whose background, side-jobs or other liaisons with special interests raise the most serious concerns about their ability to act in public interest.

Select your winners now in both categories and cast your vote at http://www.worstlobby.eu

The nominees for the 2008 Worst EU Lobbying Award are:
* the Agrofuels lobby (MPOC, Unica and Abengoa) for greenwashing agrofuels;
* European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicine for hiding the involvement of big pharma;
* European Business and Parliament Scheme for EP indoors lobbying;
* Gplus and Aspect Consulting for spreading war propaganda;
* the airline lobby IATA for deceptions to avoid CO2 reduction obligations.

The nominees for the Worst Conflict of Interest Award are:
* Dr Caroline Jackson MEP – appointed advisor to a waste company;
* Piia-Noora Kauppi MEP – lobbies for her future employer;
* Klaus-Heiner Lehne MEP – doubles as a lawyer;
* Ex-Commission officials Petite, Klotz and Kjølbye – now lobbying for industry;
* DG Trade Director Wenig – slips inside informations to lobbyists.

The candidates were selected out of 54 nominations by citizens and groups from around Europe after thorough scrutiny by the organisers. The voting website is available in English, German and French.

Online voting closes November 30. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Brussels on December 9.

The Worst EU Lobbying Awards are organised by Corporate Europe Observatory, Friends of the Earth Europe, LobbyControl and Spinwatch.

Check it out:
WorstEULobby

Valere Tjolle