Political ads: Weapon in climate change war?

But it is not yet clear whether corporations have the will or the budgets to use the advertising weapon for the climate change wars that emerged in January when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations have the same right as individuals to free political speech, including spending on advertising.

The decision could affect every issue and every political race in this congressional election year, but those pushing for a federal law to limit greenhouse gas emissions say it will hit them harder because business interests have much more money to spend on these campaigns.

“Environmental voices are already far outspent by voices of all sorts of polluting interests, but the Supreme Court decision has really now opened the floodgates for big oil and dirty coal to spend ... much, much more money in the electoral arena,” said Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters.

Green groups — including even the powerful Service Employees International Union, which has pushed for cap-and-trade measures as a spur to clean-energy jobs — are at a disadvantage.

“What will happen now is corporate CEOs will be able to freely raid their corporate till and spend their shareholders' money to advance this political agenda ... to give an even larger voice to corporations and their profit margins,” said Lori Lodes of the employees union.

Legislation to battle global warming is stalled in the U.S. Senate and there is growing pessimism that a law can be passed before November's elections. A defeat of pro-green candidates could doom the initiative for some time.

Another factor working against those seeking a global warming law is the shrinking of traditional media, according to Bob Deans of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Environmental groups used to be able to get free media coverage by pitching stories to reporters. Now many journalists who wrote about those issues are gone, and the space available for coverage of the environment is shrinking.

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