Members of Congress, Online Influencers Rail Against the #ChamberofCarbon for Climate Obstructionism
The climate crisis did not happen on its own. Powerful, wealthy interests have deliberately spent decades denying, obfuscating, and mischaracterizing the evidence presented by climate scientists in order to mislead the public. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with its deep coffers bankrolled with funds from fossil fuel companies, auto manufacturers, and other corporations with a financial stake in the status quo, has long been one of the leading obstructionists on responding to our climate emergency.
For the past several weeks, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, along with congressional climate allies and other influential figures and groups, have been using the social media hashtag #ChamberofCarbon in a campaign to call out the Chamber’s role in opposing meaningful climate action. This campaign has continued to grow momentum, and it’s been great to see new allies joining the fight to expose the Chamber’s true stances when it comes to fossil fuels and climate change.
In case you’ve missed it, here are some examples of prominent tweets that members of Congress, environmental groups and social media influences have used to sound off on the Chamber’s ongoing climate action obstruction:
What do the @USChamber and @ShopFloorNAM have in common? They’re 2 of corporate America’s top lobbying groups. And they’re both leading the charge to stop Congress from combatting the climate crisis and saving our planet. https://t.co/AKQFeXQl39
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) May 29, 2019
The @USChamber may sound like an innocent business group, but it spends millions to block any progress on climate change.
Let’s put an end to this dark money-fueled climate denial. #ChamberofCarbon
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 9, 2019
“The ocean is screaming.” Are we really too stupid to listen and learn? Or is it politics?
This is the stuff #ChamberofCarbon has worked so hard to have us ignore. https://t.co/9QXVyt6Ot8
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 2, 2019
If they’re serious on climate change:
The Chamber of Commerce could use its influence to convince the Trump administration to back off its attacks on climate science and the National Climate Assessment.
The business community’s voice can make a big difference.#ChamberOfCarbon pic.twitter.com/e02FeTOO8v
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 5, 2019
Corporations that want to call themselves environmentally responsible cannot at the same time be members of the @USChamber. It’s one or the other.
The #ChamberofCarbon has fought climate and clean energy action for decades.
— Sierra Club (@SierraClub) May 7, 2019
.@SenWhitehouse and @AOC are right. It’s not just a complacent government that poses a severe risk to our climate future – it’s the array of corporate special interests fueling complacency. https://t.co/nFdNkUDEEj
— Earthjustice (@Earthjustice) May 28, 2019
Thank you for taking on @USChamber, Senator. They’ve been a leading front for the fossil fuel industry for decades, and it’s time people called them out. #chamberofcarbon https://t.co/G6LMYIXUOV
— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) May 22, 2019
Make sure to keep track of the #ChamberofCarbon campaign on Twitter as it continues to inform the public and call for the Chamber to be held to account. You can also follow Chamber Watch on Twitter and Facebook, and why not try creating some #ChamberofCarbon posts yourself—make sure to tag your members of Congress and call on them to join the #ChamberofCarbon movement and stand up to the Chamber’s longstanding advocacy for climate inaction.
U.S. Chamber Watch is a project of Public Citizen. If you’d like to learn more about the Chamber, you can always visit us on www.chamberofcommercewatch.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Photo credit: Flickr user CEPAR (City flooding)
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