“This is the chemistry of life. And when we see it for all of its complexity, and all its humanity, we discover the element of harmony. The Human Element. When added to the equation, even industry’s need for energy has solutions that are at peace with planet.”
The ad campaign was designed to demonstrate Liveris’ commitment to Dow’s CSR goals, including a promise that Dow will “advocate for an international framework that establishes clear pathways to slow, stop, and reverse emissions by all major carbon dioxide-emitting countries.”
Dow’s participation in USCAP is another puzzling element of its CSR strategy, given Dow’s dependence on fossil fuels. Cap-and-trade legislation would increase the cost of fossil fuels and reduce economic growth – two factors that hurt Dow’s earnings.
Nature abhors a vacuum and Al Gore – Mother Nature himself – is filling the pro-drilling advertising void with TV ads promoting the mystical goal of generating 100 percent of our electricity from carbon-free energy sources within 10 years. The Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit started by Gore, announced it will allocate $300 million in advertising to promote government action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The public is being bombarded with anti-fossil fuel messages from activists like Gore and CEOs like Liveris.
Most likely, Liveris was hoping that cap-and-trade legislation would result in a manageable escalation in energy prices that would allow him to use carbon credits earned from U.S. plant closings to pay for the cost of shipping jobs overseas, where energy is cheap. The unforeseen spike in energy prices caught him unprepared.
Astonishingly, given Dow’s lobbying for cap-and-trade energy restrictions, in a recent interview Liveris blamed the U.S. for what he considers a failed energy policy that “decided to restrict supply of our natural resources of this country.” He further said Dow would move jobs to “countries like the Middle East, countries like China, countries like Russia… these are countries that are worked out that their natural resources need to be value added in their country to create meaningful high-paying jobs.”
Liveris, born in Australia and not a U.S. citizen, has no loyalty to America.
To Liveris, corporate responsibility means using government force to subsidize the moving of American jobs to countries that oppose liberty.
If Dow was really responsible, its “Human Element” campaign would be replaced by “Energy Reality” ads promoting energy policies that would benefit the company, its stockholders and the U.S. economy.
If Congress prevents development of domestic natural resources, liberal CEOs like Liveris will share much of the blame.