I've been working with someone in shareholder relations at ExxonMobil to see whether they have stopped funding front organizations to undermine climate change research. I posted on this here in early April, see link.

The answer seems to be that they are making some attempt to change. Their 2007 Corporate Citizenship Report has a statement by their CEO on p. 15 that includes: "Without question evidence shows that the earth's average temperature has warmed approximately 0.7 degrees Celsius in the last century. Without question, many global ecosystems, especially polar ones, are showing signs of warming. Without question, emissions and concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2)- one of several greenhouse gases, have increased during this same time period."

This CEO is relatively new: I've heard that the previous one was behind ExxonMobil's anti-science efforts in the past.

On page 39 there was a statement that they wrote "in 2008, we will discontinue contributions to several public policy research groups whose position on climate change could divert attention from the important discussion of how the world will secure the energy required for economic growth in an environmentally responsible manner"

I then asked my contact which groups specifically did they discontinue funding. The answer was that the one (of those I checked) with the most blatent website was discontinued from ExxonMobil funding during 2008. One of the 2 organizations that co-sponsored the March 2008 fake climate conference in New York was discontinued, the other received money from ExxonMobil during 2008. All 3 received money on 2006 and 2007.

At least they are looking into what they are doing. I'm certain it was originally deliberate (Union of Concerned Scientists report (see link from link), plain common sense). But, they may have more recently lost track of what they were doing (large benefit of doubt).

I wanted ExxonMobil to come clean on what they did in the past and how they have stopped doing this. Their Citizenship report seems to be only partly online on their web site and I could not find links to the text I posted above. So, they have not come clean.

Chris

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