Statement of Resource Person, Dylan Tanner 6 November 2018 12. The evidence complied by InfluenceMap shows that negative lobbying on climate policy persists at a high level. The research also indicates that negative influence on climate policy is primarily the responsibility of a relatively small number of generally highly polluting and highly powerful companies. This grouping of companies is broadly associated with those identified as Carbon Majors. 13. Given the importance of lobbying as a factor of success or failure for climate legislation33, the relative power of fossil fuel value chain companies in this sphere, as well as the limited success of governments globally in implementing policy strategies in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, it can be said that corporate lobbying by fossil fuel value chain companies – including those identified as Carbon Majors – has and continues to present a serious blockage to progress in line with IPCC recommendations on avoiding catastrophic climate change. 7) Lobbying by Corporate Lobby Groups on Climate Change Policy 1. A 2014 report34 from the Union of Concerned Scientists highlighted the key role played by corporate-funded external groups (trade associations, advocacy groups, think tanks) in negatively influencing the climate policy agenda in the US. A 2015 study by the University of Westminster35 in the UK found trade associations similarly impacting EU climate policy progress. Based on these and other similar conclusions on the power of trade associations in general over policy 36 InfluenceMap’s methodology incorporates a corporation’s links with such external lobby groups in computing the Total Score of a company representing its stance on climate policy. 2. An. InfluenceMap metric called the “Relationship Score” represents an aggregation of a company’s links to external groups and those groups’ climate policy positions/activity. Thus, users of InfluenceMap content are able to assess and hold accountable companies lobbying through their external lobbying groups. InfluenceMap has noted the increasing importance of trade association lobbying against climate policy as it becomes increasingly difficult for companies themselves to be associated with negative positions on climate change policy. 37 The InfluenceMap report Big Oil and the obstruction of climate regulations (October 2015) 33 The climate lobby: a sectoral analysis of lobbying spending on climate change in the USA, 2000 to 2016, Robert Brulle, pringer Nature B.V., 2018 34 Tricks of the Trade: How Companies Anonymously Influence Climate Policy Through Their Business and Trade Associations (2014), UCS 35 Fagan-Watson, B., Elliott, B. and Watson, T. 2015. Lobbying by Trade Associations on EU Climate Policy. London University of Westminster 36 The Influence Machine: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Capture of American Life, Spiegel & Grau, Jun 2015, Alyssa Katz 37 Big oil and the obstruction of climate regulations, InfluenceMap, October 2015 9