Cómo los Grandes Contaminadores imponen su agenda “cero neto” para retrasar, engañar y negar la acción climática

The document analyzes how 'Big Polluters' across various sectors use 'net zero' targets as a form of greenwashing to delay real emission reductions. It identifies critical conceptual flaws in these plans, such as reliance on unproven geoengineering and carbon offsets, and details how these corporations influence political and academic institutions to validate their agendas. Case studies on companies like Shell, Total SA, and JBS illustrate the gap between public commitments and actual business operations, while the report calls for a transition to 'Real Zero' by 2030.

• The report defines 'Big Polluters' as industrial sectors primarily responsible for the emissions driving the climate crisis, noting that just 100 corporations are responsible for 70% of historical emissions.
• Net zero plans are characterized as a 'great scam' that allows entities to continue or increase pollution by using mathematical equations to offset emissions, often shifting the burden to historically exploited communities in a process termed 'carbon colonialism' (CO2lonialismo).
• The document identifies several 'dangerous distractions' used to justify continued emissions, including Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), Direct Air Capture (DAC), and carbon markets, which it claims are often used for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) to extract more fossil fuels.
• The REDD+ program is criticized as a failure that commodifies nature and facilitates land grabbing and the violation of indigenous rights across 53 countries.
• The report outlines four conceptual failures of net zero plans: they set targets too far in the future (2050), rely on improbable technologies, ignore the need for political will and power shifts, and use flawed arithmetic regarding the Earth's capacity to absorb carbon.
• Case studies reveal contradictions in corporate plans: Total SA plans to increase oil and gas production by 50% between 2015 and 2025 while pursuing net zero; Shell plans to increase LNG operations by 20% by 2025; and JBS's 2035 deforestation-free goal allows it to continue contributing to deforestation for 14 more years.
• The report alleges that Big Polluters use three main strategies to ensure net zero policies are adopted: 'The Buy' (funding politicians), 'The Block' (influencing policy through groups like IETA to prioritize carbon markets), and 'The Rigging' (influencing academic research).
• The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), funded by fossil fuel giants, is identified as a key actor in pushing carbon market mechanisms into the center of international climate policy, specifically regarding Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
• Major academic institutions, including Stanford, Princeton, Imperial College London, and MIT, are cited as having financial ties to Big Polluters, which the report claims compromises academic integrity and validates net zero narratives.

APA

Bragg, J., Jackson, R. R., & Lahiri, S. (2021). Cómo los Grandes Contaminadores imponen su agenda “cero neto” para retrasar, engañar y negar la acción climática. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/La-Gran-Estafa_SP.pdf

Chicago

Bragg, Jesse, Rachel Rose Jackson, and Souparna Lahiri. Cómo los Grandes Contaminadores imponen su agenda “cero neto” para retrasar, engañar y negar la acción climática. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/La-Gran-Estafa_SP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bragg |first1=Jesse |last2=Jackson |first2=Rachel Rose |last3=Lahiri |first3=Souparna |title=Cómo los Grandes Contaminadores imponen su agenda “cero neto” para retrasar, engañar y negar la acción climática |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=June 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/La-Gran-Estafa_SP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bragg2021cmo, author = {Bragg, Jesse and Jackson, Rachel Rose and Lahiri, Souparna}, title = {{Cómo los Grandes Contaminadores imponen su agenda “cero neto” para retrasar, engañar y negar la acción climática}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/La-Gran-Estafa_SP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }