BP: Beyond Public Relations

This takes what my grandmother would call some chutzpah. Seems that The New Republic(an)'s latest environmental blog is being sponsored by... oil giant BP.

They promise that the actual content of the blog won't be affected by BP's sponsorship. But this doesn't change the fact that putting BP's name and logo all over an environmental blog makes it appear that BP cares about the environment -- which it pretty much doesn't.

They can write all the posts denouncing BP that they want, but those posts will eventually move down the page while that BP star will shine on at the top for as long as the sponsorship lasts. "We're not in the tank for BP" isn't sufficient. BP will have an easier time lobbying against climate change legislation if it is perceived as supporting environmental causes -- a perception that will only be increased by sponsorships like this.

Not that BP is the only polluter engaged in this kind of "greenwashing" - after all, nearly every CNN debate this primary season has been sponsored by the coal industry in support of "clean coal." When the corporate polluters have to go to these lengths to present a facsimile of environmental concern, you know that they're particularly vulnerable to a backlash.