LEARN MORE Exxon’s slick greenwashing Did you know that ExxonMobil’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 8.7 million metric tons between 2003 and 2006? Or that gas flaring – the practice of burning the natural gas that is released when they drill for oil - has increased by 279 million cubic feet per day over the same three year period? And that although Exxon has cut the number of oil spills, the actual quantity of oil spilled has increased? The chances are you didn’t as the company’s recent “green” advertising campaign has been especially created to dupe the public. Yet even ExxonMobil’s Corporate Citizenship Report can’t hide the glaring discrepancy between the new image conveyed by the company and the actual facts. The “greening” of oil giant Exxon is at most a slick public relation sham. As well as opposing the Kyoto protocol and influencing the U.S. government on this matter, ExxonMobil funds dozens of think tanks both in the U.S. and Europe committed to denying the seriousness of climate change and to preventing any concrete government action against it. The secrecy surrounding the company’s funding policy makes it very hard to trace its financial support for think tanks in the rather obscure world of European lobbying. We have gathered some of the background information on the topic. ExxonMobil's misleading advertising Earlier this year, ExxonMobil published several adverts in the European press, as well as in public spaces such as Brussels Airport. These adverts portrayed the company as environmentally friendly and claim that Exxon is investing in reducing the greenhouse gases it emits in its production processes. Slogans such as: “Our destination? A world with more energy supplies and fewer greenhouse gas emissions”. [Click here to see some ads] are meant to present a fresh image of the company in the wake of growing environmental concern among the general public. These statements, however, are inconsistent with figures from the company’s own corporate citizenship report. In fact, emissions have been rising steadily over the last few years. In 2006, the greenhouse gas emissions generated by Exxon rose by 5.4%. Furthermore, claims that the number of oil spills have decreased since 2005 are designed to draw attention away from the fact that the actual amount of oil spilled has more than tripled. [click here to see some more facts] Friends of the Earth is convinced that ExxonMobil should not be allowed to mislead the public with their “green” advertising. The oil giant's public image should not misrepresent its real activities. That's why we filed a complaint with the Belgian Advertising Standard Authority (Jury d’Ethique Publicitaire, JEP) against ExxonMobil's misleading advertising in the European Voice newspaper. [Click here to see the ad and read the complaint]. Now we will complain to the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs about ExxonMobil’s billboard advertising at Brussels airport. Take action too: You can add strength to our protest, by adding your name to the complaint. ExxonMobil's secret think tank funding In the wake of mounting criticism from shareholders in the US, ExxonMobil annually publishes a corporate giving report listing the groups receiving funds from the company. Similarly, the lobbying disclosure act compels lobby groups and think tanks to provide information about the businesses behind their budget . Therefore, we know that ExxonMobil has been and is still funding many groups who are well-known as climate change “skeptics” or “deniers”. [Click here to learn more about the U.S. think tanks ExxonMobil funds] The American tradition of corporate money behind political campaigning fired up a debate about transparency, and now strict rules force companies, thinktanks and lobbyists in the United States to reveal their financial relationships. But transparency in European lobbying circles is still not obligatory. Perhaps lobbyists in Europe are considered to have less influence over decision-making than in the US. But the reality is that the number of lobbyists roaming the corridors of the EU institutions has been steadily increasing. Today, an estimated 15,000 lobbyists are operating in Brussels, a large majority of them representing corporate interests. Yet, transparency rules are virtually non-existent. The European Commission has announced a register on which lobbyists will be asked to disclose their clients and the budgets available to them for lobbying activities .However this register has yet to be launched and it will run on a voluntary basis. Those who want to stay anonymous can continue to do so![click here to learn more about the Transparency debate in the EU. [Link] So if think tanks and other lobby groups can get away with not disclosing who they work for, and companies can get away with not disclosing who they fund – how are we supposed to follow the money trail? How will we know who is attempting to shape policies, or twist facts? Through careful background research, we know that for years, ExxonMobil has also made generous contributions to organisations in Europe actively hindering efforts to fight global warming. [Click here to learn more about the EU based think tanks ExxonMobil funds.] So it is not surprising that the company is keen to keep its financial support for Europe-based think tanks hazy, especially given Exxon’s recent attempts to green its image. At a speech last September (2007), Rex Tillerson (ExxonMobil Chief Executive Officer) said about climate change: “As a private company ExxonMobil is addressing climate change risks in a variety of different ways. We have moved aggressively to make our own operations more energy efficient.” DO YOU BELIEVE HIM? Exxon in the Media Exxon and climate change Exxon says it never doubted climate change threat Reuters, June 14/ 2007 Link Science climate conflict warms up BBC News website April 27/2007 Link Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study The Guardian, Feb 2/ 2007 Link Report singles out ExxonMobil over climate scepticism New Scientist Jan 4/ 2007 Link Nick Thomas on climate change - We are not climate change deniers The Guardian Sept.27 /2006 Link Exxon and think tank funding Exxon spends millions to cast doubt on warming The Independent Link Royal Society tells Exxon: stop funding climate change denial The Guardian, Wed. Sept 20/ 2006 Link Revealed: how oil giant influenced Bush The Guardian Wed. June 8/2005 Link Dangerous Minds The Guardian Wed. Nov 10/2004 Link Surveys Transparency unthinkable? Financial secrecy common among EU think tanks Corporate Europe Observatory, July 2005 Link Brussels think tanks persist in Brussels secrecy Exxonmobil covertly funds EU climate sceptics Corporate Europe Observatory, Dec 2006 Link More on... Exxpose Exxon Link Exxonsecrets Link     to top