A Dominican Nun was among those who spoke up for a climate change policy at the Exxon Mobil Shareholders meeting.About three dozen protesters -- outnumbered by police -- staged a peaceful demonstration outside the meeting against the company's funding of groups they believe deny or distort the science of global warming.
The protesters waved banners with slogans like "People Before Profits" and chanted "No More Junk Science."
"Exxon Mobil is double-crossing the public and policy makers. It's avoiding real changes and continuing to fund groups that purposefully distort the science of global warming," said Shawnee Hoover, the campaign director of Exxpose Exxon, a coalition of green and scientific groups.
They say the company still funds about 40 organizations that the environmental group classified as "global warming deniers," shelling out over $2 million to the groups in 2006.
Exxon disagrees with the claim that the groups, many of which concern themselves with a wide range of issues, are "deniers of climate change."
Exxon has said man-made greenhouse gas emissions could be a source of global warming, while arguing that climate science is still uncertain.
Most scientists believe the use of fossil fuels causes global warming.
Shareholder activists inside the meeting also took advantage of the opportunity to air their grievances about Exxon's environmental record.
"Can you imagine what would happen if the largest company in the world stood up and took a leadership position" on climate change, Sister Patricia Daly, a Dominican nun, asked Tillerson.
"We are challenged by one of the most profound moral concerns and we have the wherewithal to respond," she said.
The protesters waved banners with slogans like "People Before Profits" and chanted "No More Junk Science."
"Exxon Mobil is double-crossing the public and policy makers. It's avoiding real changes and continuing to fund groups that purposefully distort the science of global warming," said Shawnee Hoover, the campaign director of Exxpose Exxon, a coalition of green and scientific groups.
They say the company still funds about 40 organizations that the environmental group classified as "global warming deniers," shelling out over $2 million to the groups in 2006.
Exxon disagrees with the claim that the groups, many of which concern themselves with a wide range of issues, are "deniers of climate change."
Exxon has said man-made greenhouse gas emissions could be a source of global warming, while arguing that climate science is still uncertain.
Most scientists believe the use of fossil fuels causes global warming.
Shareholder activists inside the meeting also took advantage of the opportunity to air their grievances about Exxon's environmental record.
"Can you imagine what would happen if the largest company in the world stood up and took a leadership position" on climate change, Sister Patricia Daly, a Dominican nun, asked Tillerson.
"We are challenged by one of the most profound moral concerns and we have the wherewithal to respond," she said.
IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.
