ExxonMobil’s announcement today that it will contribute $100
million dollars to Stanford University’s Global Climate and Energy
Project is the latest attempt by the company to “greenwash” their
poor track record on global warming.
Over the past five years, ExxonMobil has spent over $47 million
on lobbying efforts to stall action on global warming and sabotage
U.S. participation in the Kyoto Protocol. “If ExxonMobil is truly
committed to stopping global warming, they will call off their
lobby force in Washington and support mandatory reductions in
global warming pollution,” said James Moore, Greenpeace Climate
Campaigner. The contribution to Stanford University, which is
earmarked for researching new commercially viable technology
systems for energy supply and use, fits neatly with ExxonMobil’s
announcement last year calling for 20 years of research before
reducing global warming pollution. “Our global climate cannot wait
while ExxonMobil researches the planet to death while stalling
government action,” said Moore.
ExxonMobil’s investment of $100 million equals merely one tenth
of one percent of the investment the company has promised to put
into new oil exploration and development over the same 10 year time
period. This contribution represents the most recent attempt by the
company to garner positive PR while still sabotaging action to stop
global warming. “Like the tobacco scientists before them,
ExxonMobil still refuses to accept that fossil fuels cause global
warming and therefore that we must have mandatory cuts in global
warming pollution,” said Moore.
Supporting Statements:
“Now we in ExxonMobil do not believe that the science required
to establish this linkage between fossil fuels and warming has been
demonstrated.”
–ExxonMobil CEO, Lee Raymond June 2002
“We would offer the following for consideration in developing a
way forward. Our approach would distinguish two broad phases. A
first phase encompassing the next fifteen to twenty years would be
devoted to:” [research into climate science, CO2 dumping, CO2
seqrestation, nuclear, coal, fuel cells etc] “During the following
phase [15-20 yrs time!] these new technologies would be developed
and deployed at a pace consistent with their economic potential and
the perceived need to control total greenhouse gases
emissions.”
–Director and Executive Vice
President of ExxonMobil Corporation, Rene Dahan
October 2001
