German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp funded climate sceptic – report

German industrial giant ThyssenKrupp was one of several companies that funded influential Dutch climate change sceptic Frits Böttcher, according to a major new investigation called the “Shell Papers,” reports AFP in an article carried by RP Online and taz. The “Shell Papers” were published Saturday by Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant and online investigative journalism outlet Follow the Money. The outlets report that Böttcher received 450,000 euros between 1989 and 1998 from companies including Shell, the airline KLM, Dutch banking group ING and ThyssenKrupp. Böttcher published articles and opinion pieces arguing that the greenhouse gas effect is a "myth.” ThyssenKrupp was one of several companies that said they could not verify the reporting, since the alleged payments took place decades ago, but stressed that the company does not support “climate change sceptics," AFP reports.

ThyssenKrupp, Germany's largest steelmaker, emitted around 24 million tonnes of CO2 in fiscal year 2017/2018 – almost three percent of the country’s total emissions. Last year, the company set a target to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The target refers to its own production, the energy it purchases and its products.