Yes, at least in the opinion of one commentator, Tom Borelli of the National Center for Public Policy Research.
According to Borelli, Ford’s current problem are not merely the result of incompetent financial decisions, but are also the product of the commitment to environmental and politically liberal causes by Ford which were promoted by Ford’s former president, William Clay Ford, Jr., under the name “corporate social responsibility” (CSR).
Among the most egregious mistakes made by Ford, in Borelli’s view, was “declaring war” on its own bread-and-butter product, the SUV. Rather than confront global warming activists, Ford elected to kowtow to them in 2000 by issuing a report stating that SUVs contribute to global warming more than other vehicles. Ford, Jr. was reportedly afraid that standing up to the global warming activists would be bad for the company’s image. So he decided that Ford would be the “most environmentally responsible automaker.” Two years later, Ford signed onto the “Carbon Mitigation Initiative,” thereby agreeing that carbon dioxide in vehicle exhaust contributes to global warming.
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