Birmingham Friends of the Earth Action Briefing April /May 1999

Exxon-Valdez - Ten Years After

Exxon and Mobil are still bent on wrecking the planet

Report by Peter Townsend

The day of action was set to commemorate the ten year anniversary of the grounding of the Exxon-Valdez tanker off the coast of Alaska. The protest was intended to draw attention to Esso's appalling environmental record around the world and it's failure to learn the lessons from the Valdez disaster.

The protest highlighted FO E's demands that Esso, and its parent company Exxon, cease activities aimed at obstructing action to combat climate change, including immediate termination of its membership of the Global Climate Coalition, and support for ratification of the Kyoto protocol, which limits the growth in emissions of carbon dioxide worldwide.

Birmingham Friends of the Earth, organised and creative as ever, decided to mark this anniversary by staging a demonstration outside the Esso Service Station in Deritend. The protest was well attended, with Karen and Dawn dressing up as a penguin and tiger respectively, and Vernon decorated to resemble a petrol tank - it could not fail to attract the attentions of passing motorists! The remaining protester's leafleted passing cars and enlightened Esso customers to Exxon/Esso's environmental record whilst providing information and advice to the general public - A fun day was had by all!!!

Peter Townsend