The under-pressure chief of an international energy treaty launched an extraordinary – and swearing – online attack on an academic on Monday, then doubled down when asked about his tirade.
Guy Lentz, secretary general of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), has hit out at Columbia University researcher Martin Dietrich Brauch for his criticism of the treaty, saying one of his papers was “totally stupid” and “awfully long”.
“Who pays these clowns for this kind of bullshit? he asked on Twitter, adding, “Hey man wake up wonderland is for kids.”
Lentz’s comments come as the treaty faces heavy fire from green groups and a number of EU governments over the protections it offers to fossil fuel investments against government policies. aimed at reducing emissions.
A reform process, which was completed over the summer, has brought “no improvement”, Spain’s Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, told POLITICO last week as she confirmed the ‘Spain. would follow Italy, Poland and Australia abandon the treaty.
Spain’s exit has led to speculation that more EU countries may decide to leave the deal or that a group of EU countries may block proposed reforms.
When another academic questioned Lentz’s behavior on Twitter, the ECT boss replied: “Wow the whole green army is showing up today..very interesting,” adding, “(Take your time answering..looks like you need it)!!”
Lentz’s Twitter account has since been deleted, but Brauch has a screenshot from the original tweet. In response to POLITICO’s request for comment, Lentz replied in a WhatsApp message that the email was “useless”, adding “Choose your side there. Fair enough. I think we’re going to end our ‘partnership’ here.
“Guy Lentz’s derogatory tweet, along with his systemic blocking of academics and other experts, is a frantic attempt to distract from the real concerns and issues that I and many others are raising about ECT. “, Brauch told POLITICO. “It is regrettable that the head of the ECT Secretariat is unwilling or unable to engage in an open and respectful discussion of the treaty, which has outsized negative impacts on global climate goals.”
Reacting to Lentz’s tweets, Green MEP Anna Cavazzini said: “The voices of academics are crucial in every political debate. The researchers present compelling arguments to show that modernizing ECT is not compatible with the goals of the Paris Agreement. They must be heard.
EU intervened to ensure Lentz was appointed head of the Brussels-based ECT last year. The European Commission did not respond to requests for comment.
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