Greenpeace calls for UK Government to take a position on Esso boycott
Greenpeace can reveal that Tony Blair had a secret meeting today with the head of the company that effectively blocked the Kyoto agreement in America. Lee Raymond, who met the Prime Minister at Downing Street, is the CEO of Exxon-Mobil - known as Esso in the UK. He has done more than anyone else to rubbish efforts to halt climate change.A consumer boycott of Esso is currently hitting the company in the UK. Greenpeace today calls on Tony Blair to support the Esso boycott if Lee Raymond has told him he won't back down on Kyoto.
The company has close links to the Bush Adminstration and took adverts out in the USA calling on the new administration to rethink its support for the Kyoto climate convention. A few weeks later Bush announced that the US was leaving Kyoto. Esso has repeatedly questioned the science of climate change and despite record breaking profits of $17 billion last year it refuses to invest any money in renewable energy.
Downing Street said: "It was a courtesy call as he was passing through and Exxon is one of the biggest investors in the UK. Kyoto was raised during the meeting, on which the government's position is well known."
Commenting on the visit, Matthew Spencer, Head of Climate Campaign at Greenpeace, said: "Blair has to come clean on what was agreed today - too much is at stake. Lee Raymond is the Darth Vader of global warming. He has used his company's billions to systematically undermine action on climate change. His company has used dirty tricks to undermine the position that the UK Government has done so much to champion internationally through the Kyoto agreement.
"It's not enough for Blair to agree to disagree with this man - if he can't persuade Esso to change its ways he should back the StopEsso boycott and make sure Government vehicles are not buying Esso Petrol."
The StopEsso campaign, set up by Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the student network People & Planet was launched after Bush's withdrawal from Kyoto in Spring 2001. The campaign recently organised the largest ever environmental protest, with 3000 people picketing Esso petrol stations around the UK on 1st December.
Further information
Contact: Greenpeace press office on 0207 865 8255
