Greenhouse Mafia
Encyclopedia
Greenhouse Mafia is allegedly the "in house" name used by Australia’s carbon lobby for itself. It was also the title of a program aired by the ABC
on the 13 February 2006 episode of its weekly current affairs
program Four Corners.
The program featured former Liberal Party
member Guy Pearse
and Four Corners host Janine Cohen, while others concerned about the controls allegedly exerted by the fossil fuel lobby also participated. The report was based on a thesis
Pearse wrote at the Australian National University
between 1999 and 2005 regarding the response of Australian business to global warming
. The program alleges lobby groups representing the coal
, car
, oil
, and aluminium
industries have wielded their power to prevent Australia from reducing its greenhouse gas
emissions, which were already the highest per capita in the world in 1990 and have increased since then by more than any other country in the OECD
since that year.
According to the research of Pearse lobby groups representing the largest fossil fuel producing or consuming industries referred to themselves as the ‘Greenhouse Mafia.’ These groups are represented in Canberra by the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network
(AIGN). AIGN members told Pearse in recorded interviews how they routinely gained access to what should be confidential information concerning government policy on energy and transport. Pearse cited recorded interviews with AIGN members including claims that lobbyists had written cabinet submissions, ministerial briefings, and costings in two departments on at least half a dozen occasions over a decade.
The consequence of the "Greenhouse Mafia" having this access is that those within groups lobbying for unrestricted greenhouse gas emissions have been able to ensure that government ministers hear mostly matching advice from their own departmental officials. Pearse claims that this influence is entrenched to such an extent that fossil fuel industry lobby groups have actually been writing Australia's greenhouse policy at least since the Kyoto Protocol
in 1998, and probably even before Howard
became Prime Minister
in 1996.
The Greenhouse Mafia episode of Four Corners begins by reviewing the evidence Pearse assembled during his PhD research, and questions a political science academic, a senior federal bureaucrat, the Federal Environment Minister and a representative of the industry peak body, the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network, about their responses to Pearse's allegations. The episode then moves onto a series of interviews with climate scientists who currently or formerly worked for CSIRO. One of these scientists, the former CSIRO Climate Director and Chief of Atmospheric Research, Dr Graeme Pearman, alleges that scientists at CSIRO were instructed by management that they were not permitted to speak publicly on the policy implications of climate change, and that he had been repeatedly censored in the years immediately preceding his forced redundancy from CSIRO in 2004.
Another former CSIRO scientist, Barney Foran, recounts an incident in August 2005, when, after giving a few radio interviews about ethanol, he received a phone call from a staff member in CSIRO's corporate centre who claimed to be passing on a direct request from the Prime Minister's Department that "They'd really appreciate it if you didn't say anything about ethanol." Dr Foran and Dr Pearman argue that the Howard Federal Government was sensitive to CSIRO scientists placing government policies on climate change
in an unfavorable light. They also claim that the censorship
of their views in recent years was completely unlike anything they had experienced in over thirty years working for the organisation.
Following the Greenhouse Mafia report by Four Corners, a talk was given on 20 February 2006 by Clive Hamilton
, the director of the Australia Institute and one of Guy Pearse's PhD supervisors, elaborating more on the Greenhouse Mafia. The talk described a "dirty dozen", a group of climate change skeptic
s with considerable influence over Australian policy. The members of this dirty dozen included Hugh Morgan
, John Eyles, Ron Knapp
, Alan Oxley, Peter Walsh, Meg McDonald, Barry Jones, Chris Mitchell
, Ian Macfarlane
, Alan Moran, Malcolm Broomhead, and John Howard
. The talk claims that the "Greenhouse Mafia" is predominantly representative of the coal, oil, cement, aluminium, mining and electricity industries
. In early 2007 Hamilton expanded on his own views in his book titled Scorcher, drawing heavily on Pearse’s research.
Pearse and Hamilton have cited various examples of "Greenhouse Mafia" influence on the Howard government's response to Climate Change. One of the best documented examples involved a group called the Lower Emissions Technology Advisory Group (LETAG). Reports of a secret meeting of the group with John Howard
and representatives of the Australian government in May 2004 appeared in the Age in October 2004. LETAG consists of the leaders of some fossil fuel companies and energy intensive industries, including Rio Tinto
, Edison Mission Energy, BHP Billiton
, Alcoa
and Orica
. The minutes of the meeting were leaked and described how both groups worried that Australia's mandatory renewable energy
target (MRET) was working too well and were "market skewed" towards wind power
.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
on the 13 February 2006 episode of its weekly current affairs
Current affairs (news format)
Current Affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast....
program Four Corners.
The program featured former Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
member Guy Pearse
Guy Pearse
Guy Pearse is an Australian author and a Research Fellow at the at the University of Queensland. His first book titled High & Dry: John Howard, climate change and the selling of Australia's future was published in 2007....
and Four Corners host Janine Cohen, while others concerned about the controls allegedly exerted by the fossil fuel lobby also participated. The report was based on a thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
Pearse wrote at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
between 1999 and 2005 regarding the response of Australian business to global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. The program alleges lobby groups representing the coal
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, and aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
industries have wielded their power to prevent Australia from reducing its greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions, which were already the highest per capita in the world in 1990 and have increased since then by more than any other country in the OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade...
since that year.
According to the research of Pearse lobby groups representing the largest fossil fuel producing or consuming industries referred to themselves as the ‘Greenhouse Mafia.’ These groups are represented in Canberra by the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network
Australian Industry Greenhouse Network
The Australian Industry Greenhouse Network is an organisation that lobbies Australian State and Federal Governments about climate change issues on behalf of some sectors of Australian Industry...
(AIGN). AIGN members told Pearse in recorded interviews how they routinely gained access to what should be confidential information concerning government policy on energy and transport. Pearse cited recorded interviews with AIGN members including claims that lobbyists had written cabinet submissions, ministerial briefings, and costings in two departments on at least half a dozen occasions over a decade.
The consequence of the "Greenhouse Mafia" having this access is that those within groups lobbying for unrestricted greenhouse gas emissions have been able to ensure that government ministers hear mostly matching advice from their own departmental officials. Pearse claims that this influence is entrenched to such an extent that fossil fuel industry lobby groups have actually been writing Australia's greenhouse policy at least since the Kyoto Protocol
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
in 1998, and probably even before Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
became Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
in 1996.
The Greenhouse Mafia episode of Four Corners begins by reviewing the evidence Pearse assembled during his PhD research, and questions a political science academic, a senior federal bureaucrat, the Federal Environment Minister and a representative of the industry peak body, the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network, about their responses to Pearse's allegations. The episode then moves onto a series of interviews with climate scientists who currently or formerly worked for CSIRO. One of these scientists, the former CSIRO Climate Director and Chief of Atmospheric Research, Dr Graeme Pearman, alleges that scientists at CSIRO were instructed by management that they were not permitted to speak publicly on the policy implications of climate change, and that he had been repeatedly censored in the years immediately preceding his forced redundancy from CSIRO in 2004.
Another former CSIRO scientist, Barney Foran, recounts an incident in August 2005, when, after giving a few radio interviews about ethanol, he received a phone call from a staff member in CSIRO's corporate centre who claimed to be passing on a direct request from the Prime Minister's Department that "They'd really appreciate it if you didn't say anything about ethanol." Dr Foran and Dr Pearman argue that the Howard Federal Government was sensitive to CSIRO scientists placing government policies on climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
in an unfavorable light. They also claim that the censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
of their views in recent years was completely unlike anything they had experienced in over thirty years working for the organisation.
Following the Greenhouse Mafia report by Four Corners, a talk was given on 20 February 2006 by Clive Hamilton
Clive Hamilton
Clive Charles Hamilton AM FRSA is an Australian public intellectual and Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics and the Vice-Chancellor's Chair in Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University. He is the Founder and former Executive Director of the The...
, the director of the Australia Institute and one of Guy Pearse's PhD supervisors, elaborating more on the Greenhouse Mafia. The talk described a "dirty dozen", a group of climate change skeptic
Global warming controversy
Global warming controversy refers to a variety of disputes, significantly more pronounced in the popular media than in the scientific literature, regarding the nature, causes, and consequences of global warming...
s with considerable influence over Australian policy. The members of this dirty dozen included Hugh Morgan
Hugh Morgan (Australian businessman)
Hugh Matheson Morgan AC, , an Australian businessman, is the son of former Western Mining Corporation CEO Bill Morgan, and was himself CEO of WMC from 1990 to 2003. He was also President of the Business Council of Australia from 2003 to 2005. The Howard Government appointed him to the board of the...
, John Eyles, Ron Knapp
Ron Knapp
Ron Knapp has been the CEO of the Australian Aluminium Council since 2001, after heading the World Coal Institute.In a speech given in Adelaide on 20 February 2006, Clive Hamilton identifies Knapp as one of Australia's climate change "dirty dozen", a group of climate change skeptics with...
, Alan Oxley, Peter Walsh, Meg McDonald, Barry Jones, Chris Mitchell
Chris Mitchell
Chris Mitchell is an Australian journalist and is editor-in-chief of The Australian. He began his career on the former afternoon tabloid, The Telegraph, in 1973 and after working on The Townsville Bulletin, The Daily Telegraph and the Australian Financial Review, became editor of The Australian in...
, Ian Macfarlane
Ian Macfarlane (politician)
Ian Elgin Macfarlane , is an Australian politician. He was elected as a member of the Australian House of Representatives in October 1998, representing the Division of Groom, Queensland for the Liberal National Party...
, Alan Moran, Malcolm Broomhead, and John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
. The talk claims that the "Greenhouse Mafia" is predominantly representative of the coal, oil, cement, aluminium, mining and electricity industries
Later publications
In July 2007, Pearse released his own book on the subject, High & Dry: John Howard, Climate Change and the Selling of Australia’s FutureHigh and Dry (book)
High and Dry: John Howard, Climate Change and the Selling of Australia's Future is a 2007 book written by Guy Pearse. In the book, Pearse accuses Prime Minister John Howard of "wilful blindness" on the issue of global warming...
. In early 2007 Hamilton expanded on his own views in his book titled Scorcher, drawing heavily on Pearse’s research.
Pearse and Hamilton have cited various examples of "Greenhouse Mafia" influence on the Howard government's response to Climate Change. One of the best documented examples involved a group called the Lower Emissions Technology Advisory Group (LETAG). Reports of a secret meeting of the group with John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
and representatives of the Australian government in May 2004 appeared in the Age in October 2004. LETAG consists of the leaders of some fossil fuel companies and energy intensive industries, including Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
, Edison Mission Energy, BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
, Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
and Orica
Orica
Orica is a multinational corporation that manufactures various chemical products. It is the largest supplier of mining explosives in the world. -History:...
. The minutes of the meeting were leaked and described how both groups worried that Australia's mandatory renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
target (MRET) was working too well and were "market skewed" towards wind power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
.
Media references
- Geoffrey Barker, journalist and author, made mention of the Four Corners Greenhouse Mafia program in relation to a discussion on the politicisation of the Australian public service.
See also
- Requiem for a SpeciesRequiem for a SpeciesRequiem for a Species: Why We Resist the Truth about Climate Change is a 2010 book by Australian academic Clive Hamilton which explores climate change denial and its implications. It argues that climate change will bring about large-scale, harmful consequences for habitability for life on Earth...
- Scorcher: The Dirty Politics of Climate Change
- Lonie ReportLonie ReportThe Lonie Report, officially titled Victorian Transport Study, was a thoroughgoing study of freight and passenger transport within the state of Victoria, in Australia...
External links
- Guy Pearse's book - High & Dry: John Howard, Climate Change and the Selling of Australia's Future
- The Greenhouse Mafia, official Four Corners page (transcript)
- "Silencing the critics" (The Age) and "The repression of the bleeding hearts" (Sydney Morning Herald). Articles by Sarah MaddisonSarah MaddisonSarah Maddison is an Australian author and Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science at University of New South Wales....
and Clive HamiltonClive HamiltonClive Charles Hamilton AM FRSA is an Australian public intellectual and Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics and the Vice-Chancellor's Chair in Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University. He is the Founder and former Executive Director of the The...
in Fairfax press newspapers appearing on January 27, 2007. - "Campaign to discredit wind blows to NSW" and "It's an ill wind ...", 19 May 2006. Two Sydney Morning Herald articles about the involvement of climate change deniers and the nuclear industry in campaigns to discredit wind power.