Esso (also known as ExxonMobil) is the most powerful company in the world, and one of the biggest. Esso will stop at nothing to keep its largest market, the USA, addicted to oil. This oil addiction is fuelling war and causing global warming, putting millions of lives at risk.
Dirty politics
Esso has always opposed any policy that would reduce the need for oil in the US. It is no coincidence that Esso's campaign has met with increasing success since George W Bush entered the White House. Esso helped him get there.
Bush's road to the White House was paved with oil money. Esso gave more dollars to the Republican Party than any other oil company in the lead-up to Bush's election in 2000.
The Bush administration's energy plan predicts a 61% increase in US oil imports in the next 20 years, as the USA stays hooked on oil and domestic oil reserves run dry.
Supply and demand
The US accounts for 25% of global oil consumption, but only has 3% of the oil reserves. Iraq, with 10% (or 112 billion barrels), has the second highest reserve in the world, behind Saudi Arabia. Large areas of Iraqi territory are yet to be fully explored.
Esso has historical ties with Iraq. It was part of a consortium that carved-up Middle Eastern oil in 1928 and had significant stakes in the Iraq Petroleum Company until 1972, when the industry was nationalised.
In 1988, Lucio Noto, CEO of Mobil before the merger with Exxon, said ".. frankly, we still have a love affair with Iraq. We may not like the guy who runs the store, but the merchandise in the store sure is attractive".
Behind the scenes, Esso funds other lobby groups to speculate and agitate on how it can get its hands on this "merchandise". Namely, war with Iraq.
Esso is very generous with its funding in this respect. But it won't put a penny into developing and investing in renewable energy.
