By RTCC Staff
Coca-Cola has pulled funding ALEC to protect its brand. (Source: Flickr/Newtown Graffiti)
Coca-Cola and US car manufacturer General Motors (GM) have both announced that they will sever ties with climate denial think tanks.
Coke has announced today that it will no longer support the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which produced draft legislation to make the addition of climate denial to school curriculums a legal requirement.
On Friday of last week, GM, producer of the Chevrolet Volt hybrid car, announced that it was dropping its (modest) funding of the Heartland Institute.
Heartland was at the centre of controversy in February when a leaked document revealed major businesses including Microsoft and GM among its donors. A strategy for misrepresenting climate science in schools was also leaked.
Climate scientist Peter Gleick later admitted to acquiring the documents by pretending to be a Heartland board member.
The US Chamber of Commerce has also lost support of several major businesses over its climate change denial.
Apple and energy firm Exelon resigned in 2009, while Nike, General Electric and Johnson & Johnson publicly stated their opposition to Chamber’s stance.
The majority of the private sector has embraced the challenge posed by climate change the opportunities it presents.
UN climate change chief Christiana Figueres, her predecessor Yvo de Boer and UK chief scientist John Beddington have all stated the importance of business’ role in climate action.
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