PRESS & MEDIA
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July 22, 2024
Contact: Gracie Bennett, Global PR
Email: climatecriminals@kibbokiftagency.com
New York City, United States–A new research project, Climate Criminals, has been launched today in Union Square, New York City, beneath the Climate Clock to charge 24 individuals who bear responsibility for delaying action on climate change and locking the US and planet Earth onto a trajectory to blow past 1.5°C temperature rises.
For its launch moment, 24 dossiers have been released to name each Climate Criminal and their crimes – which range from money laundering to fraud to crimes against future generations and the Earth. In tandem, a public reveal of “wanted posters” has taken place as climate activists gathered to observe the Climate Clock’s Climate Emergency Day 2024, which recognised the passing of the deadline to limit 1.5°C of global warming tick below 5 years for the first time in history. The unveiling will be preceded by a march to Citibank HQ to serve ‘Calamity Jane’ Fraser a subpoena. The stunt for its launch will focus specifically on two New York-based Climate Criminals, Jane Fraser (CEO of Citibank) and Richard Edelman (Edelman Communications), as well as three other North American climate criminals.
The Climate Criminals campaign, led by the newly-formed Climate Accountability Research Project (CARP), leaned on consultancy with climate organizations and activists, including Climate Clock, Global Center for Climate Justice, Greenpeace, Summer of Heat, and many others.
Together, they profiled and charged 24 ‘enemies of the earth’ who were selected from over 300 different candidates from the polluter industrial complex – a vast and sophisticated power web of ecologically destructive business sectors – and includes leaders of fossil fuel corporations, communication firms, major investors in new fossil fuel infrastructure projects, and think tanks promoting climate denial. The names were then shortlisted to 24 using a combination of exclusive and publicly available databases such as WealthX, Forbes, DeSmog and others to evaluate the severity of existing and previously unreported crimes.
Full list of Climate Criminals, their aliases and charges against them:
Bernard McNamee, Former FERC Commissioner under the Trump Administration; author of energy sections of Project 2025– crimes against future generations and the Earth.
Brian Hooks, President of Charles Koch Foundation & Stand Together Trust – bribery, crimes against citizens, crimes against future generations & the Earth, fraud.
Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America – money laundering, crimes against communities, fraud.
Chet Thompson, (President of American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) – bribery, crimes against future generations & the Earth, fraud.
Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil –bribery, crimes against citizens, crimes against communities, crimes against future generations and the Earth, fraud.
Harold Hamm, Executive Chairman of Continental Resources and Domestic Energy Producers Alliance – bribery, crimes against future generations and the Earth, fraud.
James M. Taylor, President of the Heartland Institute – crimes against future generations and the Earth, fraud.
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase – money laundering, crimes against future generations & the Earth.
Jane Fraser, CEO of Citibank – for crimes related to greenwashing, crimes against future generations.
Jay Hooley, board member at Liberty Mutual & director at Exxon – crimes against citizens, crimes against future generations & the Earth, fraud.
Kelcy Warren, Chairman of Energy Transfers – bribery, crimes against citizens, crimes against communities, crimes against future generations & the Earth, crimes against workers, fraud.
Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation – crimes against future generations & fraud.
Lawson Bader, CEO of DonorsTrust/Donors Capital Fund – bribery, crimes against communities, fraud.
Mandy Gunasekara, Former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump Administration – crimes against future generations & the Earth, fraud.
Michael Tipsord, Chairman, CEO of State Farm Insurance – bribery, crimes against communities, crimes against future generations & the Earth, fraud.
Mike Sommers, CEO of American Petroleum Institute – money laundering, crimes against future generations and the Earth, fraud.
Mike Wirth, CEO of Chevron – bribery, crimes against communities, crimes against future generations and the Earth.
Richard Edelman, Edelman PR – Money laundering, Bribery, Crimes against communities, crimes against future generations & the Earth, fraud.
Ryan Lance, CEO of ConocoPhillips and driver of Willow Project – crimes against future generations & the Earth, fraud.
Ted Boutrous, Partner of Gibson Dunn law firm – money laundering, bribery, crimes against citizens, crimes against future generations and the Earth, crimes against workers, fraud.
Thomas Karam, Executive VP of Equitrans/Mountain Valley Pipeline – crimes against citizens, crimes against future generations & the Earth, crimes against workers.
Will Hild, Executive Director of Consumers' Research – bribery, crimes against future generations and the Earth.
Michelle Bloodworth, CEO, America’s Power – Lobbying for the coal industry.
Jim Grech, CEO, Peabody Coal – bribery, crimes against future generations.
“The Climate Criminals campaign aims to raise awareness of the web of individual offenders who operate behind the scenes, puppeteering the fossil fuel industry’s operation in the shadows—the climate disruption kingpins—instead of the getaway drivers or politicians who do the bidding.
These leading offenders have used their personal wealth, power and position to press the accelerator on climate change by promoting climate disinformation, engaging in greenwashing, lobbying for and implementing new fossil fuel extraction projects, and delaying public action on climate change. These are the top enemies of the earth, and future generations will want to know who was personally responsible.
Our current system fails to recognise the scale of their crimes, and our Climate Criminals campaign is using people power to call for justice.” Chuck Collins, Co-Founder of the Climate Accountability Research Project (CARP).
"This campaign illustrates how certain individuals take advantage of environmental injustice and brings to life the ugly underbelly of capitalism for the benefit of the public. America's top corporate polluters who are profiled in the campaign influence important climate policies to stall action and are responsible for worsening our climate crisis. They are architects and facilitators of profit over ecological and social welfare and must be held to account." Daniel Faber, author of Capitalizing on Environmental Justice: The Polluter-Industrial Complex in the Age of Globalization and Professor of Sociology at Northeastern University
Tapping into power structure analysis and uncovering the web that connects the individuals reveals a frightening picture of those in power. There are many sinister connections between the final shortlist of Criminals, such as the Exxon link between Jay Hooley (Exxon Company Director), Darren Woods (Exxon CEO) and Richard Edelman (previous Exxon PR representative). The Climate Criminals campaign has gathered the following statistics exposing the similarities and links between these master networkers:
The Climate Criminals have a combined wealth of over $29.6 billion, with an average of $1.66 billion (for those with wealth data).
Their combined annual compensation is $232 million, with an average of $11 million.
Of the 24 climate criminals, 21 are male and 3 are female; 23 are white; 13 of the Climate Criminals were born before 1965; only one was born after 1980.
There are three billionaires among the climate criminals: Kelcy Warren ($7.1 billion), Jamie Dimon ($2.3 billion), and Harold Hamm ($18.4 billion).
Following its launch, the Climate Criminals campaign encourages citizens to take action by learning about the Climate Criminals and protesting against them at public appearances. The campaign invites the public to sign a call for congressional leaders to convene hearings to quiz the criminals on their charges and a petition to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to charge and prosecute these individuals for their crimes against humanity.
In addition to the Climate Criminals list, the campaign is accepting public nominations for a Lifetime Hall of Shame, which recognizes lifelong efforts to obfuscate, deny and delay. This could include individuals like Charles Koch, Lee Raymond, Rex Tillerson and others who may have died or are retired but whose historic role in blocking action on climate change should not be forgotten. -
Media Contact: Gracie Bennett, Global PR Lead at Kibbo Kift Agency
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“The Climate Criminals campaign aims to raise awareness of the web of individual offenders who operate behind the scenes, puppeteering the fossil fuel industry’s operation in the shadows—the climate disruption kingpins—instead of the getaway drivers or politicians who do the bidding…These are the top enemies of the earth, and future generations will want to know who was personally responsible.” –Chuck Collins, Co-Founder of the Climate Accountability Research Project (CARP).
"This campaign illustrates how certain individuals take advantage of environmental injustice and brings to life the ugly underbelly of capitalism for the benefit of the public. America's top corporate polluters who are profiled in the campaign influence important climate policies to stall action and are responsible for worsening our climate crisis. They are architects and facilitators of profit over ecological and social welfare and must be held to account." –Daniel Faber, author of Capitalizing on Environmental Justice: The Polluter-Industrial Complex in the Age of Globalization and Professor of Sociology at Northeastern University