Sponsors For The Hill's "Nonpartisan" Earth Day Event? American Petroleum Institute, Phillip Morris
Beginning Wednesday, the political news outlet The Hill is hosting a multi-day, virtual climate conference called “The Sustainability Imperative.” The Hill is promoting the conference as an event that will bring together “policy leaders and practitioners in the sustainability ecosystem” to discuss the "greening of energy sources" and "responsible environmental stewardship." That agenda has attracted high-profile figures in the climate movement. White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and NRDC Chief Science Advisor Kristi Pullen Fedinick are all included among the event’s listed speakers.
But joining these environmental leaders will also be representatives from the oil and tobacco industry, who are sponsoring and participating in the event. Specifically, the sponsor list includes the oil and gas industry's largest trade group, the American Petroleum Institute (API). The API, according to multiple investigations, “was one of the first trade associations to orchestrate behind-the-scenes climate change denial campaigns.” In recent years, the lobbying group has been “fighting against...climate-friendly policies in at least 16 different states,” and running sophisticatedPR campaigns to paint the high-polluting industry as climate-friendly.
The President and CEO of API, Mike Sommers, will provide the “Sponsor Perspective” for a series of events about “The Energy Equation.” Those sessions will look at "the energy industry’s sustainability goals." It features speakers such as Connecticut Department of Energy Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, and Occidental CEO Vicki Hollub. Occidental Petroleum is a member of API.
Tobacco giant Philip Morris International is also a sponsor. In 2019, leaked corporate disclosure statements revealed that the cigarette giant had begun to outline how the climate crisis, specifically higher temperatures and heavier rains, could lead to higher profits. According to the documents, the company also noted that promoting its sustainability initiatives would enhance the company’s reputation. Philip Morris International’s Chief Sustainability Officer will offer the "sponsor perspective" for a panel on Impact Investing.
EDIT
https://heated.world/p/top-climate-leaders-will-participate