My Picks for "Public Eye Awards 2011"

Recently I came across this website which is holding a vote for most evil corporation of the year.  Now obviously evil isn't the right word so for the remainder of this article I'll say irresponsible.  So among the corporations nominated on the aforementioned website, here's how I would rank them from most socially/environmentally responsible to least socially/environmentally responsible.


                                                                                                                                                                    
6) Axpo.  Current place in voting: #2
"Axpo obtains Uranium from the most radioactive place on Earth and has been concealing this fact for years."

Ignoring the inconsistency of the website which describes the area as "the second most radioactive" and "one of the most radioactive" places on earth in other blurbs, Axpo seems to be exactly the kind of organization that Greenpeace (who funded the website) would normally support. Axpo garners my award for "least irresponsible nominee" for its active work in the fields of geothermal, hydro, and nuclear energy, all of which are reducing the use of fossil fuels which contribute to global warming.
                                                                                                                                                                   
5) Phillip Morris. Current place in voting #6.
"Philip Morris filed a complaint against Uruguay’s anti-smoking laws and thus undermines public health policy."

Its not that I think smoking is beneficial to society or anything crazy like that, but I do believe that initiating a discussion of the role of the state in what people choose to put into their bodies shouldn't get a corporation nominated for "most evil."






                                                                                                                                                                    
3 and 4(Tie) . Current place in voting #4 and #5.
"Foxconn’s miserable working conditions drove at least 18 young Chinese to commit suicide in 2010"
"AngloGold Ashanti’s gold mining in Ghana contaminates soil and poisons people."

These corporations are both nominated for effectively the same reason: poor operating conditions in underdeveloped countries. In both cases, this isn't really a failure of the respective corporations as it is a failure of government to regulate. Or in the case of China, a failure of government not to intentionally oppress its own people.


                                                                                                                                                               
2) Neste Oil. Current place in voting #3.
"Under the misleading name of “Green Diesel", Neste Oil mass-produces biofuel that results in the clearing of rain forest."

Bio-fuel is fuel made out of plants. Plants are green. Ergo, Green Diesel. Its only misleading if Greenpeace thinks they have a monopoly on the word green. As much as I like to call out Greenpeace on their inconsistencies, I do think bio-fuel is pretty much the stupidest attempt at eliminating fossil fuels that anyone could come up with. The growth of plants for bio-fuel takes up farm space that should be producing food and results in the clearing of rain forest in order to create more space for bio-fuel farming. However, this is more the case of a company responding to incentives thought up by stupid politicians than it is a case of a company acting irresponsible or "evil," so Neste Oil doesn't make it to number one.
                                                                                                                                                               
1) British Petroleum (BP): Current place in voting #1.

"The oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico cost 11 people their lives and has killed off vast marine areas for years to come."

Of course its BP. The disaster in the gulf dominated headlines for months this year while I don't think anyone has even heard of most of the other corporations on this list. While I still wouldn't apply the label "evil" to BP, the fact that an accident like this is even possible shows that companies engaging in deep-water drilling activities such as this are taking on an extraordinary amount of risk in an incredibly irresponsible manner. The worst part of the disaster though, is that it is going to slow down the timetable for arctic oil development in Nunavut. Seems we will have to wait a little longer before that industry is going to start contributing to local economies in northern Canada.

                                                                                                                                                                
So with the exception of Axpo, it seems that I agree for the most part with voters on this website. I think people just assume Axpo is irresponsible because its involved with nuclear energy which has a powerful stigma associated with it in North America. In reality, nuclear power is going to be an important part of our future strategies to combat climate change, so people are going to have to learn to deal with it.

I'm not sure why such a poll is necessary really. I feel like they could have just ran BP as an uncontested candidate for "most evil corporation" and nobody would have complained.