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Ex-Activists Switch to the Corporate Side

Soil erosion resulting from deforestation in eastern Madagascar
Soil erosion resulting from deforestation in eastern Madagascar.
New Environments
Ex-Activists Find Grass Is Greener On Corporate Side

Mr. Burke Once Fought Mines; Now He Pushes Big Dig Near Madagascar Town Birdwatching for Executives
By DEBORAH BALL
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
November 17, 2004; Page A1


Some environmental activists have gone to work for the companies they protested against, hoping to effect more change from the inside. But critics say those efforts haven't produced results.


FORT DAUPHIN, Madagascar -- Thirty years ago, Tom Burke helped organize demonstrations against Rio Tinto PLC's plans to mine copper in a national park in Wales. Within months, Rio Tinto scrapped its plans.

Since then, Mr. Burke has switched sides. The 57-year-old former Friends of the Earth activist now works for Rio Tinto and is fielding complaints about another massive project: a proposed mine in Madagascar. The mine would extract 750,000 tons a year of ilmenite, a whitening agent used in paint and toothpaste, for the next 60 years. Mr. Burke champions the economic growth the mine would bring, but his former allies say it could destroy the subsistence lifestyle of largely illiterate villagers who live off the forest and ocean.

Mr. Burke is one of a handful of ex-activists who represent the companies they used to attack. These companies are grappling with the increasingly sophisticated tactics of activists. In Britain, for example, Friends of the Earth has urged insurance companies to join it in pressuring companies with environmentally risky practices. Companies say they hope people such as Mr. Burke can both build bridges with outside groups and stimulate reforms internally.

It's tough work, although better-paying than manning the barricades. Longtime mining and energy executives are sometimes reluctant to listen to advice from ex-radicals. Those who remain in the movement often dismiss their old friends' efforts as mere public relations, or "greenwash."

Since Mr. Burke joined Rio Tinto in 1996, Friends of the Earth representatives say they see little substantive change in one of the world's largest mining companies. "The quality of the conversation is better," says Tony Juniper, current executive director of Friends of the Earth in England. "But massive market forces are driving these companies. They would much rather do a communications exercise than really change."

The full text of this article is only available from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, a subscription-based service.



Text � Copyright 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL


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