date: Fri Apr 30 15:32:41 2004
from: Mike Hulme <m.hulme@uea.ac.uk>
subject: public statements
to: a.minns

   Asher,
   Below are two responses to Doug Parr at Greenpeace about their stop Esso campaign.  They
   wanted a statement.  The first is what John and I agreed should be a Tyndall statement.
   The second is what I personally said to Doug.
   Is this relevant for Future Forests?
   Mike
   ===============================================
   "The Tyndall Centre has a general policy of not officially endorsing the sort of campaign
   Greenpeace is running against ExxonMobil.  Individual scientists in the Centre will take a
   range of views on such campaigns and we do not believe that a Centre-wide position should
   be developed on every issue like this that arises.  On the other hand, the Centre clearly
   recognizes that business organizations play very differing roles in the search for
   sustainable solutions to climate change and that their interaction with the scientific
   process and policy development also varies.
   The Tyndall Centres primary role as a publically-funded research organisation is to advance
   understanding of climate change and its implications for society and to communicate these
   advances in knowledge effectively to a wide range of audiences.  The Tyndall Centre
   therefore challenges poor or incorrect science wherever we find it (and we have done so for
   example in the case of some science sponsored by ExxonMobil).  We also engage with many
   different stakeholders in exploring with them the implications of different climate change
   response strategies and policies.  For this reason we do not believe that boycotting any
   organization benefits the work of the Centre, although there may well be occasions when we
   engage with them in vigorous debate about the options open to society to manage climate
   change.
   I hope this helps a little explain the Centres position  as individuals, however, I know
   that we both have some sympathy with Greenpeaces efforts with ExxonMobil.
   Yours sincerely,
   Professor Mike Hulme
   Professor John Schellnuber
   =================================================
   11 March 2004
   I do indeed support the campaign to boycott Esso (ExxonMobil).  I do not purchase petrol
   from this company, and have not done so for more than 2 years now.  This corporation
   (whatever its motives  and I cant judge these), has consistently ignored, undermined or in
   other ways distorted, the emerging international scientific knowledge which clearly points
   towards a significant and growing human influence on global climate through our emissions
   of greenhouse gases.  It is my personal view that this reality and future prospect requires
   serious and sustained efforts on the part of all nations, organizations and individuals to
   reduce the underlying causes of human-induced climate change.  ExxonMobils position and
   explicit political lobbying thwarts rather than progresses such actions.
   Mike Hulme