Plus, meat industry mud-slinging… ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Message From the Editor

Albanian candidate Sali Berisha (left) and Steven Bucci (right) of the Heritage Foundation, both seated in arm chairs and wearing suits, in an office with bookshelves and a large houseplant.

So far, the Trump administration appears largely undeterred when its radical agenda on everything from climate to immigration collides with the courts — even the Supreme Court. Now, that policy agenda, ripped straight from Project 2025, moves across borders like a favored export — tariff-free and unregulated, thanks to the Heritage Foundation.

This conservative think tank, not content with its successes in the U.S., now apparently set its sights on Albania as a testing ground for the right's 'Make Europe Great Again' ambition. As DeSmog’s Sam Bright reports, the Heritage Foundation looks to shape Albania’s election next month, with its opposition candidate Sali Berisha claiming that Heritage helped to “design” his policy platform.

As Sam writes, Berisha, the country’s former president and prime minister who left power in 2013, “spent the majority of 2023 under house arrest on corruption charges, [and] is running on a conservative, anti-tax platform that echoes several of Trump’s key talking points — including the pledge to ‘make Albania great again.’”

“With Trump, the Heritage Foundation has proven to be highly capable of setting governments on course to trample on migrants, the rule of law and social rights,” said Kenneth Haar, a researcher and campaigner at the transparency watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory. “To see them play this role in Albania certainly opens a new chapter. Which European country will be next, one might ask?” Read the whole story.

While Albania looks like red meat for Heritage, DeSmog's Clare Carlile reports on another red meat — the literal kind.

In a new investigation, co-published with The Guardian, Clare reports on a leaked document revealing how a “mud-slinging” PR campaign likely fueled attacks on a ground-breaking study showing the benefits of a climate-friendly, plant-based diet. One that also recommended cutting global red meat consumption by half.

PR consultant Red Flag, which represents the meat industry, catalogued online backlash to the peer-reviewed report, known as EAT-Lancet. In pitching the original research to journalists, think tanks, and social media influencers, Red Flag framed the climate-friendly diet study as “radical,” “out of touch,” and “hypocritical.”

“Red Flag turned EAT-Lancet into a culture war issue,” Jennifer Jacquet, University of Miami professor of environmental science and policy, told DeSmog. “This document is a portrait of what we’re up against — as people who care about the truth, about climate change, and about the future.” Read more.

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Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

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Credit: Sali Berisha / Facebook

Black background with a white chalk-like drawing of a cow face and pile of poop with caution sign connecting around the cow on the left up to a CH4, methane, molecule

Revealed: Meat Industry Behind Attacks on Flagship Climate-Friendly Diet Report

— By Clare Carlile (9 min. read) —

A new document shows that vested interests were behind a “mud slinging” PR campaign to discredit the 2019 EAT-Lancet study.

Graphic illustration with Sali Berisha and Donald Trump in suits, from the chest up, superimposed over half of the Albanian flag and American flag with cracks across them.

Group Behind ‘Autocratic’ Trump Agenda Working on Albanian Election

— By Sam Bright (7 min. read) —

The Heritage Foundation helped to “design” the manifesto of candidate Sali Berisha, who is accused of corruption.

A blonde woman in black shirt with red circle crossing out 'greed' stands in field next to large banner reading 'Save our farmland, no power plants, no data centers' and a small yellow sign reading 'no power plants, no data centers, in rural neighborhoods'

From Farms to Data Centers: The Natural Gas Industry’s Newest Sales Pitch Comes to Virginia’s Pittsylvania County

— By Edward Donnelly (13 min. read) —

Local officials were considering developer Balico’s plans to build the biggest gas-fired power plant in the U.S. in over a decade.

A nighttime protest scene, with silhouettes of people and a cardboard sign reading 'shame on the oil bros'

Canada Fossil Fuel Subsidies Hit $30 Billion Amid Pipeline Push, Study Reveals

— By Taylor Noakes (4 min) —

Experts note that government funding goes to Big Oil shareholders and executives while Canadian taxpayers bear the brunt of living with climate change.

Graphic illustration with Pierre Poilievre and Jordan Peterson in black and white against a backdrop of red smoke plumes coming from smokestacks

Jordan Peterson’s International Network Has Its Eye on Pierre Poilievre

— By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson (10 min. read) —

Despite disclaiming Trump’s policies on the campaign trail, talks from the Conservative Party candidate’s allies at Peterson’s ARC conferences hew closely to MAGA.

The words 'climate denier spotlight' in wide appear against a transitional gray background with three smokestacks and two intersecting yellow spotlights highlight a bag of gold.

Red Flag Consulting is an Ireland-based consultancy and public relations (PR) firm. The firm was founded in 2013 by Karl Brophy and reportedly promotes itself as the “‘eyes and ears in Europe’ for US-based clients.” Red Flag’s current and former clients include companies from the tobacco, digital, and chemicals industries. Red Flag also advises the Meat Institute (formerly the North American Meat Institute). In November 2023, DeSmog reported on documents produced by the Global Meat Alliance, a trade group for meat producers, which revealed that the industry “will be helped to stay on message in Dubai [COP28] by the PR firm Red Flag”. Red Flag Consulting leads the “Protein PACT” (People, Animals, and Climate of Tomorrow), a communications initiative whose 2021 launch document concludes: “Our urgent task is to ensure stakeholders, decision makers, and ultimately consumers trust that meat, dairy, and eggs are part of solutions for diverse, healthy, sustainable diets.”

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database, Ad & PR Database, and Koch Network Database.