The IPCC is a panel of 2,500 of the world’s top climate scientists. Set up by the UN to assess the science of climate change, they have concluded unquestionably that the climate is already being damaged by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) and such damage will bring with it floods, storms and droughts while low lying land is flooded by rising sea levels. 160 governments agree on this. And so do the people of Tuvalu: the first pacific island state already being evacuated because of the rising sea.
And yet Esso denies everything. And has constantly undermined the conclusions of the IPCC by exploiting selective and outdated scientific studies. Esso is so desperate to convince people that all is safe and well with the world’s climate that it produced a petition signed by ‘scientists’ to prove it. So who were these ‘scientists’ who would argue with 160 governments, the UN and such overwhelming evidence? Signatures included those very well known experts on environmental science and meteorology, Geri Halliwell and James Brown.

It has been said that an oil company that denies climate change and their implicit role in it is just the same as the cigarette companies which for such a long time denied that smoking causes cancer.

In 1997, governments met in Kyoto to discuss what they could do reduce the effects of climate change. The Kyoto protocol was created and it committed countries to cut their emissions of greenhouse gases. As of June this year, 178 countries have agreed to the rules of the protocol. With one notable exception: the USA. The US produces more greenhouse gases than any other country; why would this country of all of them not ratify the Kyoto protocol? Of course it was Esso. It gave over $1 million to George Bush’s election and as soon as he achieved presidency, he immediately pulled the US out of the Kyoto protocol, thereby paying Esso back for the favour.
In fact Bush and Esso have a very cosy relationship. And now that Afghanistan has been bombed into rubble, Esso along with their oily friends will be free to begin work on their pipeline to the untapped Central Asian oil reserve worth 2,000 billion dollars.

Esso (Exxon Mobil in the USA) is the largest corporation on the planet, which explains why there are SO many of their stations in every city. Last year it made $17.7 billion in profit - the largest profit to be made of any company, ever. And yet despite this, Esso have invested absolutely nothing at all in renewable energy. If anyone can afford to tackle global warming, it’s Esso.
But instead it has used its wealth and power to destroy international treaties on global warming, to deny its obvious involvement and to condemn us to the greatest environmental threat we face today.

Yesterday was Stop Esso Day and it was a huge success, with thousand of people turning out in force across the country and boycotting 306 Esso garages.

Said Cindy Baxter of Stop Esso:
“Today Esso has been on the sharp end of the biggest global warming protest the UK has ever seen."

There’s a snag though. As all GCSE geography students know climate change is being caused by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. And ALL fuel creates CO2 so if you drive a car then you are still part of the global warming crisis.
Ditch the loan guzzling automobile and cycle, take the train or ride the bus. If you drive, share the lift with someone else and save yourself money. Do everything you can to save energy around the house.

And remember, if you really don’t think you can live without your car, you can at least make an educated choice about where to fill up. Make a choice, make a difference; stop Esso.