References to climate change are being removed or rewritten as Trump cracks down on climate action
Big corporations and nonprofits are ditching or rewriting climate change references on their websites, mirroring moves by US government agencies under Donald Trump.
According to Financial Times analysis, companies like Walmart and Kraft Heinz have deleted or softened climate statements amid a Republican backlash against green policies.
Trump has repeatedly mocked climate change, calling it a “hoax”, and said his agenda “drill, baby, drill” would bring down energy prices.
Now, corporations are adjusting their messaging to align with his stance. Walmart removed a section on its website where it said it was “deeply committed to addressing climate change.”
Last year, Walmart’s website described climate change as “one of the greatest challenges of our time”.
It also warned: “If we don’t take more aggressive action now, the damage will only worsen, and the consequences will be disastrous for this and future generations.”
After the US election in November 2024, these references were removed, and the webpage was rewritten.
In 2021, Kraft Heinz pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its operational footprint and global supply chain by 2050.
Now, its website says it faces challenges meeting net zero targets and that it is re-evaluating them.
Last summer, Meta’s sustainability page highlighted it is “leading the way on climate change” and “tak[ing] bold climate action”. These references are now gone.
Coca Cola weakened its environmental targets in December and watered down statements about reducing waste.
Areeba Hamid, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, told the Financial Times “We know […] customers and employees worry about how climate change is upending their lives because it’s making the air harder to breathe, their water dirtier and products more expensive”.
Hamid added that “tackling climate change is responsible business”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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