Posted: 07/12/2005
Exxon-Mobil Boycott All Politics, No Science
NCPA E-Team Scholars Say Boycott Is About Change – Political Change
DALLAS (July 12, 2005) – The boycott of Exxon-Mobil by a coalition of environmental lobbying groups is part of a massive public relations campaign to effect change, but political not environmental change, according to NCPA Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett.
“All groups and individuals are free to express their views in the marketplace, but consumers should also understand that this is a charade,” Dr. Burnett said. “Contrary to environmental lobbyists’ claims, there is still lively scientific debate concerning the extent to which human activities contribute to the earth’s current warming trend. Exxon recognizes that the question is still open, but these environmentalists want to shut-off public debate and muzzle any research that undermines their political goals.”
The coalition’s public relations campaign brands Exxon-Mobil as an outlaw corporation and asks consumers to boycott Exxon-Mobil products, even though the company has invested heavily in the recent past in renewable energy sources despite a lack of consumer demand and profitability. Specifically, the coalition objects to Exxon-Mobil’s support for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
But at a time when both gas prices and oil imports are at near record highs, it may be harmful and to the U.S. economy and irresponsible for national security to restrict environmentally responsible oil and gas exploration and production on public lands with significant reserves.
“If consumers support the boycott and Exxon-Mobil decides to make conciliatory gestures on global warming, that will be a business decision,” Burnett added. “But it will not be driven by a change in the basic understanding of the science of climate change. It would also likely negatively affect independent scientific research in the future.”