It’s time for United Parcel Service (UPS) to pull out of the climate-denying American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) if it wants to be true to its word on climate and sustainable shipping, CREDO Action argues in a petition released last week.
The online campaign, timed to coincide with ALEC’s annual meeting this week, had drawn 102,610 signatures, 68% of its goal as of mid-Sunday.
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CREDO describes ALEC as a “shadowy, far-right organization [that] is notorious for promoting climate change denial and pro-corporate policies harmful to workers, the environment, public education, and consumers.” One of the top agenda items for this year’s annual meeting, CREDO reports, is an attack on the endangerment finding that provides the legal basis for the U.S. government’s (past and future) efforts to fight climate change.
While dozens of companies have quit ALEC under sustained pressure from U.S. campaigners, “one familiar brand continues to fund ALEC: UPS,” CREDO notes.
The freight and courier company “claims to be a leader in sustainable shipping and a pro-environment company, giving millions of dollars to environmental organizations, planting trees and switching to cleaner fuels,” the petition site adds. Yet “UPS is funding ALEC’s long-term strategy to dismantle our environmental protections and block climate action. The company can’t have it both ways: either it gives up its claim to be an environmentally friendly company or it leaves ALEC—now.”
