Chamber of Commerce falls victim to climate bill hoax

The row over the US Chamber of Commerce's opposition to the proposed US climate bill was given fresh impetus yesterday when it became the subject of an elaborate hoax designed to highlight its "troglodytic" stance of climate change.

The business group, which has recently been subject to a series of high-profile walkouts after one of its officials called for a " trial" of global warming evidence, was the subject of an elaborate sting set up by serial hoaxers The Yes Men.

The group has built a reputation for spoofing companies to highlight their environmental and human rights records, and yesterday targeted the Chamber by setting up a fake press conference to announce that it had dropped its opposition to the Boxer-Kerry climate bill currently working its way through the Senate.

The fake spokesman told reporters that the Chamber would prefer to see a carbon tax implemented, but would support the existing Boxer-Kerry bill's cap-and-trade proposals in the hope the legislation can be passed ahead of the UN's climate change summit in Copenhagen.

"If cap and trade is all we can get we have to take it so at least we can have something to put in President Obama's hands when he goes to Copenhagen," he said.

The hoax fooled news agency Reuters, which posted a story claiming the Chamber had dropped its high-profile opposition to climate change legislation. The story was also carried by the Washington Post, New York Times and CNBC before corrections were issued.

The press conference ended after 20 minutes when it was interrupted by official Chamber of Commerce Eric Wohlschlegel, who resolutely refused to see the funny side branding the hoax "a fraud and I believe illegal".

In a statement, Andy Bichlbaum, who impersonated the Chamber spokesman, said that the stunt had been designed to highlight the extent to which the business group was undermining efforts to tackle climate change.

"The Chamber's position against climate legislation is completely troglodytic," he said. "The rest of the world sees the need for urgent action on the climate. The rest of the world's rich countries have pledged large emissions reductions. With scientists saying if we don't reduce carbon emissions, then sooner or later we're doomed, the Chamber represents corporate America at its most backwards."

The hoax further highlights the reputational and brand risks that businesses lobbying against environmental legislation now face, and will further crank up pressure on the Chamber to soften its stance.

In related news, Peter Darbee, chief executive of energy giant PG&E, one of the firms to leave the Chamber over its climate change policy, said last week that senior executives now fully accept the scientific consensus that global warming is predominantly man-made.

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting of the Business Council group of executives from the largest 120 US firms, Darbee said that executives had moved from arguing over climate change science to how to tackle climate change.

"No one among the group was arguing the science of climate change," said Darbee. "That debate, at least in that forum, appears to be over. The discussion was really about, 'climate change is happening, it is a challenge of vast proportions and it will require an effort on the part of mankind to respond to this challenge'."