12 June 2001

Wellington - Mobil Oil New Zealand Ltd is disappointed with today's protest action by Greenpeace.

"It is our understanding that the protest relates to the participation of Mobil's parent company, ExxonMobil, in the current debate in the United States over the Kyoto climate change protocol" said Mobil Oil New Zealand's Country Manager, Alan Heng.

"Climate change is an important issue and Mobil supports the right of all interested parties to make their views known. However, Greenpeace is seeking to promote the idea that support for, or opposition to, the Kyoto Protocol equates to concern or non-concern about climate change. This is simply not the case.

Mobil takes the potential for human induced climate change very seriously however, we do not support the Kyoto Protocol as an appropriate response. We believe the Protocol is seriously flawed and would potentially do more harm than good, it would impose dramatic economic costs in the developed world, while doing little to achieve the goal of reducing global emissions.

The Greenpeace campaign simply attempts to stifle a legitimate and important debate on these issues. In our view, the most effective way to respond to all concerns and risks is through programs that encourage economically justified near term action that promotes climate understanding and technological innovation for long term solutions.

(Ends)

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>