DEREK WALL CALLS FOR DIRECT ACTION AGAINST EXXON MOBIL

Green Party Principal Speaker to address Campaign Against Climate Change meeting

7pm, Monday 5th March, Room V111, Vernon Square Campus, off Kings Cross Rd

Dr. Wall will join Chris Huhne MP - Lib Dem Shadow Environment Minister, Jeremy Leggett - Author and Director of Solar Century, and others to debate the motion: "Is Exxon Mobil the World's worst climate criminal?"

In advance of the meeting Derek said: "Utah Phillips, the great labor organiser and advocate of direct action, once said 'The Earth isn’t dying, it's being murdered. And those who are doing it have names, addresses and faces.' "

"Exxon Mobil has been at the forefront of a massive lobbying effort by the fossil fuel industry around the world, but most especially in the US, to prevent international agreement on emissions reductions. The damage they have done in hindering action on climate change - the greatest threat the world faces - cannot be underestimated.

"I urge people to boycott Exxon, or Esso as they are known in the UK, and to come to the 24 hours of protest at Exxon HQ, happening from 5.00 pm on Thursday 5th April." (1)

"Direct action is a vital component of radical politics in a system where vested economics interests exercise so much power and the democratic deficit is so immense."

A staunch supporter of non-violent direct action, Dr wall's PHD was in direct action - 'the politics of Earth first UK.' His book 'Earth First and the Anti-Roads movement' looked at how non violent direct action defeated the roads menace in the 1990s.

Texan-based ExxonMobil (trading under the brand name 'Esso' in the UK) has been at the forefront of the massive lobbying effort by the fossil fuel industry in the US against US acceptance of Kyoto or any international agreement on emissions reductions. Other fossil fuel companies have played an important role - for instance Peabody Energy, the world's largest coal company, the role of which in the lobbying that pressured Bush into rejecting Kyoto in 2001 was well reported by BBC 2's 'Money Programme' (and see, for instance here ). But ExxonMobil has been much the most agressive and influential of all the US fossil fuel companies in the campaign that has been waged against Kyoto and to stop the US government placing any effective curbs on US emissions of greenhouse gases.

Exxon is the largest oil company in the world. It makes more than $ 1,000 a second, and last year made the biggest annual profits of any company ever - $ 36 billion. Exxon uses its incredible wealth to back Bush : 1.376 milion dollars in the 2000 election cycle, with 90% of its political donations going to the Republicans. (1)


ENDS

Notes for Editors:

More information on the debate, and the subsequent demo outside Exxon HQ can be found at: http://www.campaigncc.org/stopexxon.html


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