Up for Auction – Our Climate to the Highest Bidder

In protest at the unprecedented levels of corporate capture at this year's UN climate negotiations, youth held a mock-auction, selling off the climate to the highest corporate bidder.

One example of the heavy corporate involvement is the official sponsorship of this year's COP by 13 corporate partners. They include some of the biggest polluters and climate laggards, such as ArcelorMittal, BMW and Emirates, as well as Polish fossil-fuel giants PGE and Lotos Group [1].

Clemence Hutin, who was expelled from the talks after standing in solidarity with the Philippines, said, “The Polish Presidency appear content to auction our climate off to the highest corporate bidder – to companies with no intention of tackling climate change. But how many more Yolandas will we have to see before they realise, our climate is not for sale? We're standing in solidarity with Philippines negotiator Yeb Saño as he fasts for an ambitious deal in Warsaw, but for that to happen then governments must accept the climate belongs to all of us and not a few rich polluters.”

Sophia McNab from UK Youth Climate Coalition (UKYCC) said, “As the world approaches 2015 with little on the table in terms of ambition, finance or equity, the increasingly-close relationship between the UNFCCC and the very same corporations who lobby against genuine climate solutions is dashing the hopes of real solutions ever materialising in Paris, and with it our chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change.”

Pascoe Sabido from Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) said, “Why are we letting the world's biggest climate criminals wrap themselves in the colours of the UN and parade around the world like climate heroes? Why are they allowed anywhere near the talks – the WHO doesn't allow Marlborough anywhere near its effort to tackle lung disease, yet the UNFCCC allows ArcelorMittal, BMW and the rest to sponsor this COP. It's beyond belief.”

This morning, youth groups in Warsaw for the talks launched a guerilla social media campaign against the corporate sponsors of the COP [2], tracking down their Warsaw offices to send a clear message that dirty corporations and their lobby groups are not welcome at the UN talks [3].

Øyvind Dahl, an activist involved in the morning actions, said, “This has to be the most corporate COP ever. The UN and its chief Christiana Figueres have shown us by kicking out the three young people from the talks that they're happier listening to the polluting fossil fuel industry than youth who really care about tackling climate change. Youth get removed from the talks for standing in solidarity with the tragedy unfolding in the Philippines while the coal and gas companies pay to drape their logos around the conference hall. We have to face up to the planetary emergency but Figueres and the UN are walking in the complete wrong direction. It's now up to us to reclaim this COP and reclaim the UN.”

Contact (in Warsaw):

Pascoe Sabido, CEO: +48 733 586 333

Sophia NcNab, UKYCC: +48 729 391 461

Clemence Hutin: +48 733 670 439

Øyvind Dahl: +48 786 285 608

Notes to Editor:

[1] For a full low-down on ArcelorMittal, BMW, the Emirates, PGE, Lotos Group – as well as all other sponsors – please see Corporate Europe Observatory's COP19 Guide to Corporate Lobbying, available at http://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/cop19_guide_to_corporate_lobbying-with_references.pdf  

[2] To follow the action on twitter, see hashtag #CorporateCOP19

[3] For pictures of the morning action, see https://www.facebook.com/PushEurope