Feature story - 21 August, 2002
Lee Raymond and Exxon are the Godfathers of corporate environmental crime. They have built up an unfathomable empire at the cost of our environment. They influence governments to get their own way, leaving the charred remains of international treaties in their wake. Their head honcho Raymond knows no bounds that money can’t remove.
Exxon's Lee Raymond is WANTED for crimes against the climate. You can download your own wanted poster below.
The environmental criminal:
Lee Raymond, Chairman and Chief Executive of ExxonMobil (Esso),
the world's richest company, is wanted for questioning over his
part in an audacious plot to bake the planet.
He is armed with the absurd belief that global warming is not
caused by burning oil, coal or gas. His views are believed by the
scientific community to be dangerous.
The accomplice: Raymond
often rides out with his partner George W Bush. Together the two of
them are known to be responsible for a number of hold ups, most
notably the United States ditching of the Kyoto protocol on climate
change.
The environmental crime:
Lee Raymond and Exxon are responsible for sabotaging efforts by the
international community to tackle global warming. Through a
ten-year campaign of dirty tricks, Raymond's Exxon has done more
than any other company on the planet to sabotage international
action to tackle global warming. Exxon gave US$1.376 million to the
Republicans in the 2000 election cycle - more than any other oil
company. As soon as George Bush became president, he pulled the
United States out of the Kyoto Protocol, the only international
agreement to address global warming - exactly the policy that Exxon
was promoting.
The victims:The huge
amounts of oil Exxon sells every day help make the world a little
warmer every day. Eventually we will all feel the impacts of
climate change if you haven't already. As the climate changes, so
will our environment. One result of global warming already being
seen is the retreat of glaciers across the globe. View our
investigation into the melting glacier on Mt. Kilimanjaro in
Tanzania in Quicktime format - part one and part two.
The verdict: Guilty.
Exxon is misleading the public, buying off governments and selling
the planet short. It is time for them to clean up their act and
stop meddling in international agreements to prevent climate
change. The US government is duplicitous in this crime. President
Bush has allowed big business to dictate global policy and has yet
to hold Exxon accountable for environmental damage done by
Exxon.
You can help make Exxon accountable for their environmental
crimes by joining the Stop
Exxon/Esso campaign.
Reward:
A cleaner, greener, cooler planet.