Feature story - May 29, 2002
On the day of ExxonMobil's annual general meeting in the USA at Dallas, Texas, the global campaign to Stop Esso spread to yet another country, as activists in Germany protested in front of Esso's European headquarters in Hamburg.
Greenpeace action at Esso headquarters in Hamburg, Germany.
Activists climbed the roof of Esso's ten-story building and
installed dollar signs in place of the letter 'S' in the
corporation's logo. Banners reading "Esso: Maximum profit, zero
responsibilty" were hung on the building.
"Whether you call it Exxon, Esso or Mobil, this oil company has
done more than any other to sabotage international action on
climate change," said Greenpeace energy expert Karsten Smid.
"ExxonMobil systematically undermines all efforts to address global
warming. The corporation's lobbying is a significant factor in the
Bush government's refusal to ratify the Kyoto protocol. Exxon's
influence even caused Dr. Robert Watson, the renowned climate
scientist, to lose his chair at the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change."
ExxonMobil makes billions of dollars profits from oil at the
expense of the environment. In 2001 ExxonMobil made a profit of
US$15 billion, but refuses to invest a single dollar in renewable
energy.