Welcome to the Angry Mermaid Award

Out of the eight nominees that were put forward for public vote on this website and at the Klimaforum in Copenhagen, Monsanto emerged as the winner of the Angry Mermaid Award 2009 with 37 per cent of the ten thousand votes that were cast.

Oil giant Shell ended second place (18 per cent), for lobbying to sabotage effective action on climate change, followed by the American Petroleum Institute (14 per cent).

Agriculture giant Monsanto was nominated for promoting its genetically modified (GM) crops as a solution to climate change and pushing for its crops to be used as biofuels. The expansion of GM soy in Latin America
is contributing to major deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) of which Monsanto is a member, is helping to promote the company’s cause by allowing GM soy to be labelled as “responsible”. Monsanto also wants GM soy to be funded under the Clean Development Mechanism.

Background

Image by Polyp

Crucial UN climate talks take place in Copenhagen this December. While people, organisations and social movements around the world are calling for strong action to prevent climate change and ensure climate justice, big business has been lobbying to block effective action to tackle the problem, while also seeking to benefit from it. Lobbying is defined as attempting to influence the decision-making process.

The Angry Mermaid Award has been set up to recognise the perverse role of corporate lobbyists, and highlight those business groups and companies that have made the greatest effort to sabotage the climate talks, and other climate measures, while promoting, often profitable, false solutions.

Named after the iconic Copenhagen mermaid who is angry about the destruction being caused by climate change, the Angry Mermaid Award winner will be decided by a public poll. Read the story of the Angry Mermaid.

Online voting opened on Monday 16 November 2009.

Voting closed on Sunday 13 December 2009.

The winner of the Angry Mermaid Award was announced during an Award Ceremony in Copenhagen on 15 December 2009