how corporations rule part 2: ieta lobby group ignores carbon market flaws

The document examines the role of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) as a business lobby group within UN climate talks. It details IETA's efforts to scale up carbon trading and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) despite evidence of market failure and environmental inefficiency. The report also highlights the 'revolving door' between government officials and IETA leadership and the group's ability to maintain a massive presence at COP conferences to influence policy in favor of private sector interests.

• IETA acts as a powerful business lobby at UN climate talks, often fielding the largest NGO delegations to influence outcomes. For example, it registered 486 lobbyists at the 2009 Copenhagen conference and hosted 80 business-oriented side-events at the Cancun conference.
• The organization promotes the expansion of carbon markets and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as primary tools for climate policy, despite the CDM allowing developed nations to avoid domestic emissions cuts and relying on unverifiable 'additionality' claims.
• There are concerns regarding a conflict of interest involving IETA President Henry Derwent, who transitioned from a senior role at the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to IETA in 2008, allegedly bypassing government guidelines on 'cooling off' periods and lobbying bans.
• In response to the decline of the Kyoto Protocol and carbon prices, IETA is advocating for new mechanisms to sustain the carbon market, including the integration of 'ecosystem services' markets and the creation of a green bond market to fund developing countries.
• IETA's leadership is closely tied to energy-intensive industries, with its board chaired by a Shell International adviser and vice chairs from Rio Tinto and Eskom.

APA

Rowell, A. (2011). how corporations rule part 2: ieta lobby group ignores carbon market flaws. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IETA-report-1.pdf

Chicago

Rowell, Andy. how corporations rule part 2: ieta lobby group ignores carbon market flaws. Friends of the Earth International, 2011. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IETA-report-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rowell |first1=Andy |title=how corporations rule part 2: ieta lobby group ignores carbon market flaws |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=December 2011 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IETA-report-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rowell2011how, author = {Rowell, Andy}, title = {{how corporations rule part 2: ieta lobby group ignores carbon market flaws}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2011}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IETA-report-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }