Archived press release

EXXON: STILL TRASHING THE ENVIRONMENT . Ten Years on from Exxon Valdez - New Report Exposes World's Least Green Company

24 March 1999

PHOTOCALL
Demo at Esso UK HQ, Ermyn Way, Leatherhead, Surrey
7.30am onwards, TUESDAY 23 March 1999

FOE will leaflet staff, asking them to urge their company to improve its environmental performance. Campaigners dressed as climate security guards will sound a warning that Esso is a climate change villain.


Friends of the Earth International today publishes a report revealing that Exxon and its new partner Mobil are two of the most environmentally-damaging corporations in the world. The shocking new evidence comes on the tenth anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, one of the worst oil disasters in history [1].

The FOEI report catalogues the oil companies' activities across six continents. These threaten important habitats and the health and prosperity of indigenous people. The report also reveals that ten years after the Valdez spill, Prince William Sound has not recovered[2].

Exxon and Mobil are also shown to be playing a key role in blocking international agreements to fight dangerous climate change. Friends of the Earth is calling on Exxon and Mobil to follow the lead of Shell and BP by leaving the powerful industry lobby group,the Global Climate Coalition, and increasing investment in cleaner, renewable energy technologies. At their AGMs in the US in April, Friends of the Earth campaigners will call on the companies to report to shareholders on their potential liability for damages associated with climate change.

Tony Juniper, Policy and Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth said:

"Ten years after causing one of the worst oil disasters in history, it is clear that Exxon has not learnt any lessons and is still showing little respect for the environment and the local communities in which it operates.

To cap it all, Exxon and its new corporate partner Mobil have been leading the fight against legislation to combat perhaps the most serious environmental threat facing the planet - global climate change. It's time these fossil fuel dinosaurs recognised the benefits to their shareholders as well as to society as a whole of switching investment to cleaner, renewable energy technologies."

The report marks the launch of an international campaign against Exxon and Mobil involving Friends of the Earth groups in the following countries: UK, United States, Canada,Argentina, Japan, Nigeria, Finland, Ireland, Ecuador. Campaigners in all these countries will be staging actions to mark the tenth anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on 24 March.

[2] New research from the Alaska Wilderness League "Preventing the Next Valdez: Ten Year's After Exxon's Spill" Mar 1999, available from FOE.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust