Last week, I did a blog entry looking at how corporations were leaving the US Chamber of Commerce because of its stance on climate change.
This week, it was Apple's turn. It left the chamber of Commerce with Catherine A. Novelli, vice president, Worldwide Government Affairs of Apple stating: "We strongly object to the Chamber's recent comments opposing the EPA's efforts to limit greenhouse gases … We would prefer the chamber take a more progressive stance on this critical issue and play a constructive role in addressing the climate crisis."
The Chamber has responded sending a pathetic letter to Apple chief Steve Jobs telling him the Chamber was a champion of efforts to fight climate change, it just opposed the Waxman-Markey Bill. "It is a shame that Apple will not be part of our efforts".
But as this piece in Mother Jones points out, the only thing the Chamber has championed is carbon. And it raises one very good question: who exactly does the Chamber represent? As Mother Jones journalist Josh Harkinson writes: "New members of the board must be selected by the board's nominating committee and and approved by its sitting members. Though the board officially strives for a diverse membership, of its 118 members, only 1 represents a local chamber and only 6 are from small businesses. The rest are highly capitalized regional, national, or international corporations. An unusually large portion of the more than 100 board members come from companies tied to the production or burning of fossil fuels. At least 49 of 118 board members represent oil and gas companies, chemical companies, utilities, transportation companies, the construction industry, or companies that build machines that burn large amounts of petroleum. Three of the five members of the board's senior council represent such interests. Only two board member companies, Siemens and Alpha Technologies, earn a significant portion of their revenues from alternative energy technologies."
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