Lord Melchett, former executive director of Greenpeace UK, has taken a position with Public Relations firm Burson-Marsteller, known worldwide for representing the interests of heavy industry vs. environmentalists. This is interesting to those who realize that Burson-Marsteller represents Monsanto, against whose genetically engineered crops, Lord Melchett once campaigned, and indeed, was once arrested for destroying a field of them. This drama was highlighted on January 8, 2002, by Marie Woolf, Chief Political Correspondent, the Independent (UK). Apparently, Lord Melchett was discomfited when questioned about possible conflicts of interest in his new position, and avowed to always fight against the villains who produce genetically engineered anything.

Perhaps Burson-Marsteller shall find him projects that are more to his liking… reportedly, he shall be advising industries on their client list on the best ways to defend themselves against environmentalists such as Greenpeace. Frankly, we have observed other such turncoats and their efforts to turn their backs on the protest industry in order to do such about-face work… and they have not been whole heartedly accepted, perhaps for good reason.

"Burson-Marstellar, the largest independent public relations company in the world, is made up of seasoned greenwashers. They "handled" Exxon when the supertanker Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound in 1989. They attempted to tidy up Union Carbide's image after its chemical plant disaster killed more than 3,500 people and maimed more than 202,000 in Bhopal, India. In the 1970s, when Babcok & Wilcox's global sales suffered after the nuclear reactor it built at Three Mile Island failed, Burson-Marstellar was there to assist its client. More recently, it extolled the virtues of a coalition of 200 companies in a crusade against the Clean Air Act.

And it was Burson-Marstellar that the WCED hired to wheedle the hearts and minds of the global public at the Earth Summit at Rio five years ago. In one of their promotional brochures, the PR hired guns boast that they "...have gained insight into the key activist groups and the tactics and strategies of those who tend to generate and sustain issues. Our counselors around the world have helped clients counteract activist-generated... concerns."

By specializing in PR that focuses on environmental issues and language, Burson-Marstellar helps clients, including the WCED, clean up their image so they don't have to clean up their act."