A new batch of industry associations has been uploaded onto the InfluenceMap system and the relationship scores recalculated accordingly.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
The President and CEO of GE Canada is the Co-Chair for the Chamber's Net-Zero Council (correct as of June 2022)
Heather Chalmers
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
The President and CEO of GE Canada is the Co-Chair for the Chamber's Net-Zero Council (correct as of June 2022)
Heather Chalmers
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
A senior executive from General Electric's subsidiary, GE Renewable Energy, is on WindEurope's Board of Directors (as of January 2022)
Peter Wells
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
A senior executive of a subsidiary of GE is a board member of WindEurope
Cliff Harris
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
A senior executive from General Electric's subsidiary, GE Renewable Energy, is on WindEurope's Board of Directors (as of January 2022)
Peter Wells
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
A senior executive of a subsidiary of GE is a board member of WindEurope
Cliff Harris
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
General Manager for Sales and Commercials at General Electric Renewable Energy serves on the American Clean Power Association Board of Directors (updated January 2022)
Stephen Swift
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
General Manager for Sales and Commercials at General Electric Renewable Energy serves on the American Clean Power Association Board of Directors (updated January 2022)
Stephen Swift
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE CEO is a member of Business Roundtable (as of January 2022)
Larry Culp
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE CEO is a member
John Flannery
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE CEO is on Executive Committee
Jeffrey Imelt
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE CEO is a member of Business Roundtable (as of January 2022)
Larry Culp
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE CEO is a member
John Flannery
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE CEO is on Executive Committee
Jeffrey Imelt
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
The CEO of GE subsidiary GE digital serves on the Board of Directors of the NAM (as of January 2022)
Melanie K. Cook & Patrick Byrne
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Member of the Board
Anthony Aiello
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
The CEO of GE subsidiary GE digital serves on the Board of Directors of the NAM (as of January 2022)
Melanie K. Cook & Patrick Byrne
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Member of the Board
Anthony Aiello
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
General Electric is one of over 100 direct members of BCA (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
An executive from General Electric Australia is on the BCA Energy and Climate Change Committee.
Sam Maresh
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
A subsidiary of GE is a member of BCA
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
General Electric is one of over 100 direct members of BCA (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
An executive from General Electric Australia is on the BCA Energy and Climate Change Committee.
Sam Maresh
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
A subsidiary of GE is a member of BCA
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
General Electric is listed as an associate member of EEI (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
A Subsidiary of GE is a member of EEI
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
General Electric is listed as an associate member of EEI (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
A Subsidiary of GE is a member of EEI
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE is a member of the US-Iraq Business Council (December 2020)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE is a member of the US-Japan Business Council (December 2019)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE is a member of the US Turkey Business Council (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE is a member of the US-Pakistan Business Council (December 2019)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
member of the Brazil-US Business Council, which operates under the US Chamber of Commerce (December 2019)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE is a member of the US-Iraq Business Council (December 2020)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE is a member of the US-Japan Business Council (December 2019)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE is a member of the US Turkey Business Council (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE is a member of the US-Pakistan Business Council (December 2019)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
member of the Brazil-US Business Council, which operates under the US Chamber of Commerce (December 2019)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
GE announced its intention in 2020 to sell remaining stake in former subsidiary Baker Hughes, removing the company's link to the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, and thus its indirect link to GasNaturally (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
General Electric is an indirect member of GasNaturally, through its membership of International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
GE announced its intention in 2020 to sell remaining stake in former subsidiary Baker Hughes, removing the company's link to the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, and thus its indirect link to GasNaturally (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
General Electric is an indirect member of GasNaturally, through its membership of International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE Renewable Energy - a subsidiary of General Electric - is one of over 100 direct members, and one of 15 sponsoring members (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
GE Renewable Energy - a subsidiary of General Electric - is one of over 100 direct members, and one of 15 sponsoring members (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
General Electric is an indirect member of the ICC through the USCIB (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
A senior executive of General Electric is vice chair of an ICC Commission
Thaddeus Burns
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
General Electric is an indirect member of the ICC through the USCIB (as of January 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
A senior executive of General Electric is vice chair of an ICC Commission
Thaddeus Burns
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Open PDF file of Data Source
Climate Lobbying Overview: General Electric (GE) appears to have mixed engagement with climate change policy, supporting ambitious climate action in its top-line messaging while opposing some specific climate policies such as a U.S. CO2 standard for aircraft. GE also appears to support a long-term role for fossil gas in the energy mix, although its position on coal seems to have improved since 2020.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: GE’s top-line messaging on climate policy is mixed. In its 2020 annual report released in February 2022, GE offered an unclear position on IPCC-demanded emissions reductions, supporting urgent action on climate change while emphasizing the issue of energy poverty. More positively, in an April 2022 US consultation response, GE stated support for net-zero CO2 emissions from the US aviation industry by 2050. Similarly, in a 2020 “Future of Energy” white paper, GE emphasized the need for “realistic times for reduction efforts” over IPCC-demanded GHG emissions reductions and advocated for a “technology-neutral” approach to climate policy. In December 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported on General Electric's opposition to the pay-for provisions in the U.S. federal Build Back Better Act. However, the company has consistently supported the Paris Agreement, including in a C2ES joint letter urging US re-entry to the Agreement in January 2021.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: General Electric appears to have mixed and limited engagement with specific climate regulations globally in 2018-22. In a 2020 consultation response, General Electric advocated to the US government to certify the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) global CO2 standard for aircraft into US law, while supporting the policy at a global level. However, this support in the US was qualified by major exceptions, including urging the US government not to introduce a more ambitious CO2 standard than that set by ICAO. In its 2020 Sustainability Report released July 2021, GE overviewed global GHG emissions reduction targets for aviation, including “more ambitious” targets in the EU, without stating position or detailing any engagement.
In a 2019 consultation response, GE Lighting supported proposals to weaken US energy efficiency standards for lightbulbs, arguing that “no evidence indicates that a new standard could be economically or technically justified.” However, a 2020 proxy statement to investors suggested support for a 40% renewable energy target in Victoria state, Australia. Beyond this, InfluenceMap has not found significant evidence of GE’s positions on and engagement with climate policy, with the company providing limited transparency through its corporate reports or 2021 CDP response.
Positioning on Energy Transition: GE Continues to promote a major role for fossil gas in the energy mix, although evidence suggests an evolving position on coal since 2020. In December 2020, GE released a “Future of Energy” White Paper that continued to promote fossil gas as a long-term climate solution in the energy mix, alongside renewables, without including clear conditions on the deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies or methane abatement measures. Furthermore, the report appeared to support the expanded use of fossil-fuel derived, as well as green, hydrogen in the energy mix.
GE has a mixed but improving position on the role of coal in the energy mix. Reports suggested that GE publicly exited the new build coal market in 2020, and as of February 2022, a statement on GE’s website promoting “the need for new but improved coal power plants” has been removed. Previously, GE’s 2020 White Paper focused on the benefits of coal to gas and renewables switching over coal power itself, and in 2018-19, General Electric consistently promoted the need for new or additional global thermal coal capacity.
In 2020, GE has also advocated to global policymakers to support the transition to sustainable aviation fuel and has stated support for the decarbonization of aviation. GE also stressed the important role of nuclear energy in the energy mix in 2020.
Industry Association Governance: GE publicly discloses information on its memberships to industry associations on its website without providing details on the company’s role within each association or influence over their climate positions, though some additional details are available in its 2021 CDP response. GE has not published a review of its alignment with its industry associations. The company is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers and American Petroleum Institute, both of which are actively, negatively lobbying on US climate policy. It is also a member of WindEurope, where a senior executive from subsidiary GE Renewable Energy serves on the Board, as well as the American Clean Power Association, where a senior representative serves on the Board. As of February 2022, GE appears to have exited several groups actively opposed to climate policy such as the World Coal Association.