An academic study published by Robert Brulle in the journal Environmental Politics in April 2022 introduced several new documents to the ClimateFiles GCC collection, including important internal documents from the Global Climate Coalition and National Association of Manufacturers.
Link to the full paper
Advocating inaction: a historical analysis of the Global Climate Coalition
Documents referenced in the paper
- One pager from E. Bruce Harrison’s PR company, undated
- Global Climate Coalition “Communications Program” report, prepared for GCC Board, July 11, 1995
- Excerpts on climate change from National Association of Manufacturers internal “Business Activity Reports” from 1990 to 1998
Paper Abstract
Ever since climate change became a political issue in the late 1980s, a number of industry coalitions have formed to oppose mandatory carbon emissions reductions. One key coalition was the Global Climate Coalition (GCC). This paper conducts a historical and empirical review of the activities of this coalition. This review shows that the GCC engaged in four distinct activities to obstruct climate action: 1) monitoring and contesting climate science, 2) commissioning and utilizing economic studies to amplify and legitimate their arguments, 3) shifting the cultural understanding of climate change through public relations campaigns and 4) conducting aggressive lobbying of political elites. Through these activities, the GCC played an important role in obstructing climate action, both in the U.S. and internationally. Further analysis of similar coalitions can aid in our understanding of the organized opposition to climate action.