Climate Change News… reports
After AGL accused environmental organizations of abusing copyright and trademark laws, Greenpeace Australia Pacific will confront Australia’s largest power generator AGL Energy Limited in court on Wednesday.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific used the AGL logo in a satirical advertising campaign launched in early May 2021. The event aims to promote a new report from Greenpeace Australia Pacific, which aims to raise public awareness of the fact that AGL is Australia’s “largest climate polluter”.
The event features the AGL logo and Greenpeace logo. AGL’s legal team will argue in court that this violates Australia’s trademark and copyright laws.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific stated that these advertisements are obviously ironic and no one will mistake them for the official promotional materials of AGL.
“By imitating the AGL brand in our advertising campaigns, we hope to attract the attention of the public. Although AGL shows the public a front-facing front with a focus on renewable energy, it is more responsible for climate pollution than any other company. To the country,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior activist Glen Walker told Al Jazeera.
“Although AGL is Australia’s largest operator of coal-fired power stations, it has an undeserved reputation as an organization that is a leader in renewable energy.
“The AGL brand is a false frontline and a mature ironic target.”
Australia’s “dirty polluter”
AGL generates and provides electricity in several states in Australia.
It provides electricity to nearly one-third of Australian households, generating more than 11,000 megawatts, accounting for approximately 20% of Australia’s national energy market.
But it relies heavily on coal-fired power plants to generate electricity.
According to its own data, as much as 85% of the company’s electricity comes from coal. Only 10% will come from renewable energy in 2020.
Nevertheless, AGL, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), is increasingly promoting itself as an environmentally responsible company. Its promotional materials boast that it “follows renewable energy” and is “the largest renewable energy investor listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.”
The activities of Greenpeace Australia Pacific specifically address these propositions. The organization believes that AGL is actually “Australia’s largest contributor to climate change”, causing more than 42 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019-2020.
These claims are supported by data from the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Regulatory Agency[1]The agency’s National Greenhouse and Energy Report statistics show that AGL’s emissions account for more than 8% of Australia’s total emissions, more than twice that of Australia’s second largest emitter.
Katrina Bullock, general counsel of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said that it is worth noting that AGL has not denied these allegations.
“AGL did not refute the headlines that they are Australia’s dirtiest polluter,” Bullock told Al Jazeera.
“AGL claims that their logo is [Greenpeace Australia Pacific] Campaigning is an abuse of trademarks,” she said.
