Exxon Responds to Avaaz Spoof Ad: "We Don't Understand"
This week, Avaaz has been running an advertisement on Washington DC television spoofing ExxonMobil's hypnotically disingenuous ad campaign—you know, the ones where friendly, nerdy people tell you how their work at ExxonMobil will help the environment.
The message of our ad was simple: while ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel companies now talk a good game on climate change, they're still lobbying full-force to prevent a strong global climate treaty. The kind of treaty Obama can help create—if the rest of us give him the political support to do it.
Well, yesterday, ExxonMobil responded to the ad. Apparently, they were mystified.
"They seem to be critical of our desire to communicate our positions on climate change, which we don't understand," said Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers.
Mr. Jeffers, sorry for confusing you! Perhaps we could be more clear. We have no problem with ExxonMobil's "desire to communicate." It's ExxonMobil's positions on climate change that we're critical of... and the fact that the communications in question don't actually communicate them.
In fact, if ExxonMobil is really eager to communicate their positions on climate change, then they should be welcoming our ad! Take a look:
The truth is, Exxon spent at least $29 million on lobbying in the US last year alone—and is on track to spend even more on a lobbying and advertising blitz this year. While ExxonMobil might not be funding climate denialists to distort science any longer (it lost that battle), it hasn't switched sides in the climate wars. Now, they're just wearing the other side's uniforms. ExxonMobil's strategy is to divert the growing momentum for effective global and national policies by greenwashing itself—and lobbying hard behind the scenes.
Most of their ads showcase research projects or promote the virtues of personal energy efficiency. Unmentioned by the $400-billion-plus company is the fact that their entire business model relies on continually increasing the burning of carbon-based fuels. Watching the ads, a conscientious consumer could conclude that ExxonMobil is to clean energy what the Gates Foundation is to global health. The more appropriate analogy would be Phillip Morris.
(Sometimes the ads are misleading—not just in their underlying message—but also in their particulars: Last year, Britain's Advertising Standards Authority banned an ExxonMobil ad for claiming, falsely, that liquefied natural gas was "one of the world's cleanest fuels.")
ExxonMobil's feel-good ads showcasing hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and tire technology aren't about "communicating their positions on climate change." They're about calming down a public that has become rightly infuriated by fossil-fuel industry obstructionism of real climate action. And they're about distracting attention from ExxonMobil's own lobbying against the cap-and-trade legislation and binding global treaty that the world urgently needs.
We suspect that, in fact, Mr. Jeffers understands this all too well.
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Simple solution... BOYCOTT EXXON/Mobil, the ultimate greenwashers. Hit them in the pocket book to force change in their attitude regarding their Valdez spill, pollution and clean energy technologies.
Exxon stock and investment vehicles like mutual funds that have Exxon stock. Treat them like poison ivy.
Start now.... and pass it on. Send a message to your friends. Make change happen.
I haven't purchased one dime from them since the spill.
http://www.exxposeexxon.com/
Co2 is a dangerous toxin... which we exhale
Sounds like you need to read up on something called the carbon cycle.
Nice Ad!
Exxon's has another dirty little secret: Since 2000, they have spent nearly $150 billion on stock repurchases and dividend payments. This represents more money than they have spent on exploration during the same time frame. Therefore, it is cheaper for Exxon to drive their share price higher by repurchasing their shares and dividends than it is to spend it on exploration creating new reserves of oil and natural gas. There new motto should be: Exxon, limiting the supply of stock and oil through stock repurchases and dividends, doing what's best for America.
In a civilized world, polluting would be prosecuted as a crime against humanity.
that pollution is created by giving people jobs, having electricity, fueling our cars and leads to new innovation.
Would the world be civilized if that were the case?
No electricity for most, no cars, trucks, planes or trains for mobility of people or goods. No art, internet, or science as we would spend all of our time huddling for warmth (only non-polluting method), growing food (subsistence level if that without fertilizers), and procreating (in order to produce workers for higher yield of food, and to replace workers who die early of previously treatable injuries and diseases).
Sounds like a resounding no to me.
Don't let the smoking gun be a tail pipe.
EPN
BP is just as bad.
I hereby propose a 90% corporate tax rate for the fossil fuel industry.
This money should be used to accelerate the transition to renewables, such as solar PV, solar thermal, wind, and enhanced geothermal. It should also be used to help repair some of the damage done to the planet by the fossil fuel industry.
are there other industries that will suffer your wrath or just the fossil fuels?
90% is pretty steep and will reduce profits leading to investors dumping their stock and discouraging fossil fuel industries from production. This will throw thousands out of work and leave us sitting cold and in the dark.
Exactly what is needed to get people to wake up to the disingenuous advertising from the big polluters. Fossil fuels have got to go. http://www.dasolar.com/alternative-energy/fossil-fuels
Exxon continues to aggressively spend money to deny global warming and fossil fuels impact on that. They have fought a 30 year battle against alternative renewable fuels that continues to this day. And they support the auto industry in fighting CAFE mileage standard increases. They have effectively controlled our energy policy since Reagan was Prez. They do not subscribe to the concept of Peak Oil and plan to drill and sell ad nauseum. They have created a system where our military is used to fight for their international oil activitites and thereby oil is the most subsidized energy we use.
yeah, im sure they understand all too well.
The fact is, people dont seem to realize, theres an entire industry niche that consists of Very Very Smart, and educated people, working with top notch social science and human behavior psychoanalyzing consumer tendencies and behaviors for the sole purpose to market a pile ofTurds to americans as a bouquet of pretty flowers.
They are Paid hugely too. They do everything they do with the end result being sucking your money out, convincing you its ok, and making it a law.
Exxon never paid for their mess in AK, Valdez? twenty years and have not dropped a cent?
Pigs they are.
It brings to mind that brilliant line from the "clean coal" parody ad:
"Clean coal harnesses the awesome power of the word CLEAN to make it seem like the cleanest clean there is."
The word CLEAN truly has awesome powers! I guess ExxonMobil wants that power too now.
Thanks for an enlightening post.... I was wondering about those ads, now I have better understanding about what is really at stake.
I still cannot see Exxon's name w/o thinking about a friend of ours whose livelihood of fishing in the waters off of the area of Alaska was lost by the oil spill, nearly 20 years ago. Background: The people who fished there had to buy a license to fish in a specific area (around $65 K). After the oil spill, the people were not able to buy licenses to fish elsewhere, nor could they obviously sell the license they owned. Exxon made a big deal of spending countless monies to clean up the effects of oil spill. But they have steadfastly refused to compensate workers in the fishing industry for loss of livelihood. After the courts have required time and time again, for Exxon to provide remuneration to these unfortunate folks, Exxon has appealed. finally after 20 years, the case was taken to the Supreme court of the land last year. The Supreme Court decision was for Exxon to pay a total of $500,000 to be divided among the 33,000 victims. The Supreme Court looked at the amount that Exxon had already paid for the cleanup, and felt they should not be penalized further than that.... no mention about the loss of livelihood of the victims. Do you think Exxon would pay it? Noooo, there is another appeal. Meanwhile, Exxon's profits quarterly continue to astound.
Sadly, their profits are more important to them than the Earth itself.
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