Press release - 14 February, 2002
Bush's plans for i ncreased oil production pose a threat to climate
President Bush's new US climate policy, which would actually
increase greenhouse gas emissions by about 36 percent over the
Kyoto targets, looks like it came direct from the boardroom of oil
giant ExxonMobil.
"Controversy over Enron continues to rage but it's about time
the spotlight was turned on ExxonMobil," Greenpeace climate
campaigner Benedict Southworth, said. "Exxon spent six times more
than Enron lobbying Capitol Hill and with this climate policy it
got what they paid for."
" Under this plan carbon dioxide emissions will increase even
faster than in the last five years and this policy will do nothing
to help stabilize long term greenhouse gas concentrations as
promised. This plan amounts to nothing more than a wish list from
Exxon to allow it to continue 'business as usual."
The policy links emissions to economic growth, a move which
ensures that only a prolonged economic recession will actually
reduce CO2 emissions. Official US predictions for GDP growth
throughout the next decade are about 3.1 percent. The US
administration has also refused to set mandatory reduction targets
for industry relying instead on "incentives, voluntary challenges
or public recognition" to 'encourage' rather than force businesses
to reduce pollution.
The US is the world's biggest greenhouse polluter, responsible
for 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The new policy
widens the gulf between the US and the rest of the world, which
looks set to agree legally binding cuts in greenhouse gas emissions
later this year.
"ExxonMobil has scaled new heights in its self-serving action to
manipulate climate policy. The environment movement and responsible
governments around the world can be expected to react against
ExxonMobil for this latest, outrageous act," said Southworth.
Notes: Exxon is known as Esso outside the USAMore information:Analysis of the US Climate policy'A Decade of Dirty Tricks' documenting ExxonMobil's attempts to undermine the international climate negotiationsExxon Checklist.