Exxon
Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) said today that media and environmental
activists’ allegations about the company’s climate research are
inaccurate and deliberately misleading.
“For nearly 40 years we have supported development of climate science in
partnership with governments and academic institutions, and did and
continue to do that work in an open and transparent way,” said Ken
Cohen, vice president of public and government affairs.
“Activists deliberately cherry-picked statements attributed to various
company employees to wrongly suggest definitive conclusions were reached
decades ago by company researchers. These activists took those
statements out of context and ignored other readily available statements
demonstrating that our researchers recognized the developing nature of
climate science at the time which, in fact, mirrored global
understanding.”
The allegations were contained in reports distributed by InsideClimate
News, an anti-oil and gas activist organization, and the Los Angeles
Times, and have prompted political attacks by Senators Bernie Sanders
and Sheldon Whitehouse and Representatives Ted Lieu and Mark DeSaulnier.
Both InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times ignored evidence
provided by the company of continuous and publicly available climate
research that refutes their claims.
“The facts are that we identified the potential risks of climate change
and have taken the issue very seriously,” said Cohen. “We embarked on
decades of research in collaboration with many parties, including the
Department of Energy, leading academic institutions such as the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and others to
advance climate science.”
ExxonMobil scientists continue to research and publish findings to
improve understanding of climate system science as a basis for society’s
response to climate change and have produced more than 50 peer-reviewed
publications on topics including the global carbon cycle, detection and
attribution of climate change, low carbon technologies and analysis of
future scenarios for energy and climate.
ExxonMobil scientists have been selected by the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change, the United Nations’ most authoritative body on the
subject, as authors of their past four major assessment reports, and
have contributed to National Research Council boards and committees on
climate change.
“We recognize that our past participation in broad coalitions that
opposed ineffective climate policies subjects us to criticism by climate
activist groups,” said Cohen. “We will continue to advocate for policies
that reduce emissions while enabling economic growth.”
Since 2009, the company has supported a revenue-neutral carbon tax as
the preferred policy approach for emission reduction because it ensures
a uniform and predictable cost of carbon, allows market prices to drive
solutions, maximizes transparency to stakeholders, reduces
administrative complexity, promotes global participation, and is easily
adjusted to future developments in climate science and policy impacts.
ExxonMobil joined other companies to provide initial and ongoing funding
to create and support the MIT Joint Program on Climate Science and
Policy and Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Project, which has
engaged scores of researchers, faculty and students and has resulted in
hundreds of scientific publications on climate change and low carbon
technologies.
The company has an active research program into lower-carbon emission
technologies, such as algae and cellulosic-based biofuels, carbon
capture and storage and advanced engines to name a few.
More information on ExxonMobil’s climate research can be found on
ExxonMobil’s corporate blog, Perspectives at www.exxonmobilperspectives.com.
About ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas
company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing
energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of
resources and is one of the world’s largest integrated refiners,
marketers of petroleum products and chemical manufacturers. For more
information, visit www.exxonmobil.com
or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/exxonmobil.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151021006804/en/
Copyright Business Wire 2015