WATER ABLAZE - Patagonia Sin Represas

with one another. Under the motto “Many Drops against Thirst”, they
intend to promote research on the topic of fresh water and drinking
water. Here we have an obvious case of the dog guarding the sausage
factory, because Bayer is one of the biggest water-polluters in Germany.
Every year, vast quantities of phosphorous, nitrogen, inorganic salts,
organochlorine compounds and heavy metals are discharged into the
water via industrial effluents. 43 All over the globe, ground water is
being contaminated by thousands of tons of pesticides produced by
Bayer. The company spent €250,000 on its collaboration with National
Geographic on water-related issues – a tiny sum when you consider
how much more expensive a conventional publicity campaign with the
same objective would have been.
On March 25, 2004, the political journal Monitor reported on a
case which clearly illustrates how civil society organisations are being
infiltrated by the business sector. Citizens’ action groups protesting
against wind power stations were being advised and represented by a
lawyer named Thomas Mock, who was at the scene wherever lobbying
against wind power was being called for.
Anyone who has ever been a member of a citizens’ action group will
know just how much such well-informed expert support is appreciated
by “idealistic do-gooders”. What many people almost certainly did
not know, in the above case, was that Mr. Mock was employed by the
Hydro Aluminium Company and was representing the interests of the
aluminium industry at the same time. The industry’s aversion to wind
power can be explained by the fact that it is slightly more expensive
than conventional energy. Since the production of aluminium is
energy-intensive and electricity consumption accounts for around 40
per cent of production costs, companies are extremely interested in
keeping energy prices low.
A company which openly opposed sources of renewable energy
would risk severe damage to its reputation. What could be more
beyond suspicion than a “citizens’ action group”, which – though
perhaps not a camouflage organisation of the industry in question –
has become its unsuspecting accomplice
135