Media release - April 5, 2001
Greenpeace today gave the top 100 U.S. companies one week to declare their opposition to President Bush's rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement on global warming, or face the consequences from concerned consumers, institutions and organizations around the world.
Greenpeace wrote to the CEOs of the top 100 American companies
on the newly published Fortune 500 list, which is now led by
Exxon/Mobil. Exxon/Mobil and other American oil and coal companies
are seen globally as the chief architects behind the Bush
administration's policy on global warming, pushing the U.S.
President to reverse his campaign promise to limit carbon dioxide
emissions from power plants, as well as to walk away from the Kyoto
Protocol.
"President Bush has completely broken his trust with the
American people simply to pay back his oil industry campaign
contributors. It is time to determine just which companies will
choose to go down with Bush and suffer the global outrage for
undermining efforts to stop global warming," said John
Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace. "Greenpeace aims
to help citizens around the world find out whose side these
companies are on," he continued.
The letter asked companies:
- Does your company support the ratification and entry into force
of the Kyoto Protocol?
- Does your company support President Bush in his opposition to
this Protocol?
- Will your company support or oppose the efforts of other
countries to bring the Kyoto Protocol into force without the United
States?
- Does your company accept the Third Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as the scientific basis
for action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon
dioxide emissions from the burning of coal, oil, and gas?
"A wide range of national governments have already condemned the
Bush administration for caving in to oil, coal and gas interests
and from the deluge of mail and phone calls we've been receiving,
we know we need to help an outraged public," said
Passacantando.
Greenpeace believes that the
ratification and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol is an
essential, but minimal, first step toward the prevention of
dangerous climate change. The world community is aiming to get the
Kyoto Protocol ratified and in force by the Rio+10 Earth Summit in
September 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa.