THE ANGRY MERMAID WINNER IS…

Monsanto!
*****

Copenhagen, December 15, 2009 – The winner of the Angry Mermaid
Award 2009, announced by award-winning writer and journalist Naomi
Klein at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen today is the biotech giant
Monsanto with 37 per cent of the total vote [1].

Oil giant Shell took second place (18 per cent) in the Award for
lobbying to sabotage effective action on climate change, followed by
the American Petroleum Institute (14 per cent).

Ten thousand people voted in the Angry Mermaid Award, named after
the iconic Copenhagen mermaid who is angry about corporate lobbying on
climate change.

Eight candidates were put forward for public vote at www.angrymermaid.org and individuals at the Klimaforum were also invited to vote [2].

Agriculture giant Monsanto was nominated for promoting its
genetically modified (GM) crops as a solution to climate change and
pushing for its crops to be used as biofuels. The expansion of GM soy
in Latin America is contributing to major deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) of which Monsanto is a
member, is helping to promote the company’s cause by allowing GM soy to
be labelled as “responsible”. Monsanto also wants GM soy to be funded
under the Clean Development Mechanism [3].

Speaking for the award organizers, Paul de Clerk from Friends of
the Earth International said: “Monsanto has attracted thousands of
votes from individuals who are outraged that such an
environmentally-damaging form of agriculture should be put forward to tackle climate change.

“Big business must not be allowed to sabotage action against
climate change by promoting their vested interests. All the candidates
for the Angry Mermaid Award have lobbied to protect their own profits
and prevent effective action to tackle climate change. Governments need
to stop listening to them and choose real solutions to the climate
crisis.”

The Angry Mermaid is organized by Attac Denmark, Corporate Europe
Observatory, Focus on the Global South, Friends of the Earth
International, Oil Change International and Spinwatch.

***
NOTES
[1] Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist,
syndicated columnist and author of the New York Times and #1
international bestseller, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster
Capitalism.

[2] The eight nominees for the Angry Mermaid Award were:
American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE)
American Petroleum Institute (API)
European Chemical Lobby (Cefic)
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
International Emissions Trading Association (IETA)
Monsanto
Sasol
Shell

[3] Monsanto was nominated for lobbying for carbon credits for
their RoundupReady crops, which are being grown for agrofuel.
RoundupReady soy doesn’t need ploughing because it can be heavily
sprayed with herbicides. Not ploughing the fields leaves more
carbon dioxide in the ground, but the vast spread of soy monocultures
in Latin America have caused deforestation, the displacement of people,
and massive amounts of toxic weed-killer being used instead.

Monsanto also wants GM soy to be funded under the Clean Development
Mechanism which would allow polluting industry in the developed world
to offset their emissions by buying credits from GM soy projects.
Offsetting is a false solution to climate change and does not lead to
emissions reductions in developed countries.