Super PACs and climate change denial

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the influential role of Political Action Committees (PACs) and more specifically the so-called “Super PACs” in climate change denial within the United States. The decision of the US Supreme Court in the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010, followed by a lower court ruling over the case SpeechNow.org v. FEC, created the foundations for the emergence of Super PACs. Their large-scale involvement, asserting a corporate agenda, is reflected in the political decision-making process and its outcomes. Within the United States, politics is the main arena shaping people’s beliefs about the effects of climate change, with roughly 38% of Americans expressing some interest in the issue of global climate change even as 26% say they care not too much or not at all about the issue. By analyzing empirical data (including public opinion polls) and industry/issue related expenditures made by PACs and Super PACs, the paper attempts to show the effect of these corporate-financed Political Action Committees not just on policy development and decision-making, but also on public perceptions and opinions.