Many lobby organizations in the United States are trying to prevent the government from taking environmental measures. Google has apparently supported some of them with "substantial" sums. The reports of the "Guardian" and refers to a list that Google has published online.
Google likes to present itself in public as a climate protection pioneer and has announced to invest millions in renewable energy. What exactly the sums are that flow to the anti-climate lobby groups, the group did not want to betray.
The Google list includes hundreds of groups to which the group says it has donated "significant sums". More than a dozen of these organizations, according to the media report, have spoken out against climate change laws, doubted that anything must be done to counter global warming or seek to reverse Obama's environmental rule.
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Above all, the Guardian calls the politically conservative Think Tank Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). Among other things, it has worked to ensure that the US resigns from the Paris climate agreement and criticizes the fact that the Trump government has not lifted any further environmental protection regulations.
Google does not share the views of the groups according to their own information
In addition, Google has supported, among other things, the upcoming annual meeting of the State Policy Network (SPN) according to the list. Under the umbrella of the organization works, for example, the Heartland Institute, a radical anti-scientific group, which Greta Thunberg referred to as a climate deterrent. SPN officials have also recently created a website where they falsely claim that climate change does not exist.
Google defends its funding practice. Working with organizations like the CEI does not mean that they fully support their agenda. The company was disappointed that the US has dropped out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
According to corporate data, Google is donating to conservative groups to support their deregulation agenda in the technology industry, the Guardian continues.
A Google spokesperson said the company supports organizations from a broad political spectrum as long as this technology policy operates in the interests of the Group. Google is far from the only company that promotes organizations whose climate agenda does not match their own assessment.
Amazon also co-funded a gala from CEI, according to July's New York Times report.
Editor's note: DER SPIEGEL receives money from Google as part of the 'Google News Initiative' to develop a technical audio platform and news format for YouTube. The funding has no influence on our reporting.
