Apple says iQuit to the decaying US Chamber of Commerce

Sergio Abranches

EPA’s mandate allows it to effectively control carbon emissions over the whole economy. And it obviously raises strong opposition from many quarters. It figures: the “sunset industries”, those that will inevitably loose competitiveness and profitability with carbon regulations, and eventually die, are fighting for their survival. To most of them it really doesn’t matter whether their survival would only be possible at the cost of a global catastrophe a few decades from now.

But, look again. Most of them were already declining irrespectively of climate change regulations. Most are old and unable to renew or reinvent themselves. Most are on a terminal state.

The major threat they are facing comes not from upcoming carbon regulations or carbon taxes. The real threat comes from the emerging industries that will inexorably replace them. Carbon regulations and carbon taxes are just a secondary mechanism that will accelerate their demise. They are no longer generating as much employment as they used to generate in their heydays. They lack dynamism, innovativeness. Some of them cannot even become what business models characterize “cash cows”. Their market share and their profits margins are already plummeting.

No surprise they favor inertia, that’s their own state on life. The US Chamber of Commerce has always been on their side. But so was the Bush Administration. Circumstances have changed, the correlation of forces has tipped, the chamber is now loosing adepts and supporters.

Apple was the latest of a growing list to say iQuit, as James Boyce wrote on The Huffington Post. What triggered the exodus was the Chamber’s opposition to EPA’s efforts to limit greenhouse gases. But the Chamber has a long story of outdated statements, every single one of them showing the old association’s state of denial. They are the unscientific, climate change illiterate part of North America.

Nike resigned from the commerce executive, but remains a member, says Guardian’s Suzanne Goldberg. But Apple is out for good. Catherine Novelli, vice-president of worldwide government affairs at Apple, wrote on her letter to the chamber’s CEO: “We strongly object to the chamber’s recent comments opposing the EPA’s effort to limit greenhouse gases.” She continued stating that: “Apple supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating to find the chamber at odds with us in this effort.” We, the “Appeople” are grateful to her.

This divide will only spread in the US, as well as the global, economy. Independently of what happens in Copenhagen, we will move towards more carbon regulation and, at some point in the future, we’ll see either regulation or taxation setting a minimum price for carbon. Venture capital investment and government subsidies are shifting towards clean tech and renewable energy. This flow will only increase from now on. Green jobs are growing faster than grey jobs. Paradoxically, the faster glaciers melt and Earth warms up, the faster these sunset industries and decadent blocks of interests will disappear.

That they’ve lost this war is crystal clear already. What is not certain at all is whether the world will meet the climate change challenge on time for the emerging low carbon civilization to flourish in the 21^st Century. The first signs to help us answer this question will come from Capitol Hill, in Washington, and from the Bella Center, in Copenhagen.