Causecast

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer

April Fools day came a little late this year when an environmental activist group known as the Yes Men faked a Chamber of Commerce Meeting in Washington D.C. last week. The hoax was so convincing that the Washington Post and Reuters, along with other press, bought in and showed up to report on the conference. The group, pretending to be representatives from the Chamber, announced plans to change their position on climate legislation from quiet opposition to full endorsement. That would be pretty big news – if it were true.

The charade nearly came to a screeching halt when actual Chamber of Commerce media relations director, Eric Wohlschlegel, burst into the room, calling the man conducting the conference a fake. The response of the poster Chamber of Commerce representative? Well, he called Wohlschlegel the fraud, leaving the press to their own devices in deciding which man was actually a Chamber rep. The “official” information printed on Chamber of Commerce letterhead distributed during the meeting made it pretty tough to determine who was in fact representing the Chamber. Definitely the most exciting day the Chamber has seen in quite some time. Maybe ever.

The Chamber of Commerce has taken a more conservative road in addressing climate change, favoring carbon taxes to legislation demanding industry emission reform. Quiet opposition? Not after the faux-conference. The only thing Wohlschlegel confirmed in his attempt to halt the hoax was how against climate change legislation the Chamber actually is. “Economy first”, right, guys?

Here’s how the hoax went down:

On Monday, the Chamber of Commerce filed a law suit against the Yes Men over the posed briefing citing copyright infringement and trademark violation. The Chamber accuses the pair of exploiting intellectual property for “personal financial gain.” So much for opposing frivolous legal battles. In addition to the lawsuit, the Chamber has launched a fund-raising page asking for support as they fight against the attack of activist groups like the Yes Men.

The Yes Men responded to the Chamber’s claims with something that resembles gratitude, accepting the accusations of being “Left Wing Extremists.” They also acknowledge the Chamber’s need to raise funds, if anything to make amends for the $35 million they have spent in lobbying fees this year. It’s passive-aggressive activism at it’s finest.

You don’t have to pull off an elaborate hoax on a U.S. Chamber of Commerce to make an impact on the progress of climate change legislation. It’s probably not worth the impending lawsuit that will likely follow. But you can be part of the movement to demand change when it comes to addressing the climate crisis.

• Contact your state representative and let them know that you intend to hold them accountable for what they do or don’t do about global warming.

• Let the Chamber of Commerce know that slow movement on climate change is the same as no movement.

• Find out what companies are dissolving their membership with the Chamber in response to their lack of action.

• Make a commitment to buy from companies that are making a conscious effort to cut back on carbon emissions.

Visit the Environment section and check out Global Inheritance for more information on finding greener solutions.

Photo of the Yes Men by Tavis, Wikimedia Commons.