Polluter Dark Money Is Silencing Science & Stopping Climate Action

Polluter Dark Money Is Silencing Science & Stopping Climate Action

As hundreds of thousands of people join in the People’s Climate March in New York City this weekend, which Common Cause is co-sponsoring, fossil fuel money pumped in our political system remains the most significant threat to not only passing legislation addressing climate change, but also getting members of Congress talk about the issue.

As hundreds of thousands of people join the People’s Climate March (which we’re co-sponsoring) in New York City this weekend, fossil fuel money pumped in our political system remains the most significant threat to not only action on climate change, but even getting members of Congress talk about the issue.

Common Cause’s new report, Silencing Silence, explores how political spending by fossil fuel corporations and related dark money groups have silenced our elected officials on the issue of climate change, almost as if the issue doesn’t exist. The money spent by polluters and climate change deniers has skyrocketed in recent years, ushered in by Supreme Court decisions repealing long-standing campaign finance laws, such as Citizens United.

So, even while an overwhelming majority of scientists and American citizens know that climate change exists and want to see Congree address the issue, our elected officials remain beholden to their big oil funders.

After spending millions in the 2010 elections to send climate change deniers to Congress, Karl Rove told a conference of frackers that “Climate is gone…I don’t think you need to worry.” This Sunday, let’s prove him wrong!

Read our new report Silencing Science and join us in New York City on Sunday to hold our elected officials accountable to voters, not their biggest funders.