Influence Map (sometimes written as InfluenceMap) is a New York-based advocacy group that monitors companies and organizations that attempt to influence global climate policy. It has been described as “an organisation that sees corporate lobbying as the primary obstacle to climate change legislation.” ¹

Influence Map has a British sister-group based out of London known as Influence Map UK. The two groups also have offices in Tokyo, Seoul, and Canberra.

As of March 2023, Influence Map claimed to have been cited in over 2,000 media articles globally. ²

Criticisms of Fossil Fuel Companies

Influence Map has consistently criticized conventional energy companies for allegedly obstructing climate change legislation through lobbying and campaign contributions. In October 2019, Influence Map co-founder and executive director Dylan Turner testified before U.S. Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis. He claimed that industry associations like the National Association of Manufacturers and the Chamber of Commerce tended to oppose climate change legislation due to a minority of members whom pro-climate companies allow to dictate climate policy. ³ A February 2023 report from Influence Map gave the Chamber of Commerce an E- rating, the second lowest rating out of 16 scores, on its commitment to support climate legislation. ⁴

Another Influence Map report claimed that oil companies spent $1 billion lobbying against climate change legislation between 2016 and 2019. ⁵

A 2022 report from Influence Map found that 60 percent of oil company advertisements in 2021 contained messaging related to climate change, but only 12 percent of those companies spent money to encourage climate change legislation. ⁶

Leadership

Influence Map executive director and co-founder Dylan Tanner was the founder and managing director of ERM Japan, an environmental services and consulting firm. Prior, he founded and led Asia Environmental Trading Limited, a similar firm operating across East Asia. ⁷

Co-founder and former research director Thomas O’Neill left Influence Map in June 2020 to found and direct Universal Owner Initiatives, an investor-focused climate change think tank. ⁸

Programs

Lobby Map

Lobby Map is Influence Map’s database of corporate lobbying that ranks companies on their commitments to climate change legislation. For instance, a January 2021 report on the five biggest American technology firms—Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft—stated that “while the five Big Tech companies are all highly positive on their own climate programs,” “they are not strategically deploying their significant influence over government policy in support of much needed climate policy.” ⁹

Finance Map

Finance Map is Influence Map’s database that ranks the efforts of financial institutions to support or oppose climate legislation. The Portfolio Paris Alignment Methodology compares the environmental goals of investment funds with the goals laid out in the 2016 Paris Climate Accords. ¹⁰

A-List of Climate Policy Engagement

Influence Map rates companies on their efforts in pushing governments to address climate change. The top-rated companies on the A-List of Climate Policy Engagement include Elon Musk’s Tesla, Nestle, Ikea, H&M, and Unilever. ¹¹

Funding

Influence Map has received funding from the Sunrise Project, the Laudes Foundation, the Erol Foundation, the Quadrature Climate Foundation, the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, the Ikea Foundation, the Friends Provident Foundation, the Climate Change Collaboration, the European Climate Foundation, the Wallace Global Fund, the ClimateWorks Foundation, and the Windward Fund. ¹²

1. “Interview with Thomas O’Neill.” Climate-KIC. April 20, 2020. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://www.climate-kic.org/community/interview-with-thomas-oneill-influence-map/.
2. “History.” Influence Map. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://influencemap.org/mission.
3. “InfluenceMap testifies at the Senate Democrats’Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, Oct 2019.” YouTube. Accessed March 23, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M70woh_Z_3A.
4. “The U.S. Chamber’s Climate Policy Engagement, February 2023.” Influence Map. February 2023. Accessed March 2023. https://influencemap.org/briefing/The-U-S-Chamber-of-Commerce-and-Climate-Policy-21084.
5. “Influence Map.” Twitter. March 22, 2019. Accessed March 23, 2023. https://twitter.com/InfluenceMap/status/1109131245777231872.
6. “Big oil pledged to fight climate change, but do their actions line up?” Influence Map. September 24, 2022. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/big-oil-pledged-to-fight-climate-change-but-do-their-actions-line-up.
7. “Dylan Tanner.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-tanner-b2874ab3/?originalSubdomain=uk.
8. “Thomas O’Neill.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-o-neill-66513712b/?originalSubdomain=uk.
9. “Big Tech and Climate Policy.” Influence Map. January 2021. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://lobbymap.org/report/Big-Tech-and-Climate-Policy-afb476c56f217ea0ab351d79096df04a.
10. “Finance Map.” Influence Map. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://financemap.org.
11. “Net Zero and the Need for New Leadership in Corporate Climate Advocacy.” Influence Map. March 2023. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://influencemap.org/briefing/Net-Zero-and-the-Need-for-New-Leadership-in-Corporate-Climate-Advocacy-14774#briefing_section-20887.
12. “Our Funders.” Influence Map. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://influencemap.org/funders.