Motorists urged to boycott Esso

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Environmental campaigners are urging British motorists to boycott fuel stations run by the U.S.-based oil giant ExxonMobil under the name Esso.

The Stop Esso campaign was launched on Tuesday by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and is backed by celebrities including Bianca Jagger, artist Damien Hirst and actor Ralph Fiennes.

The campaigners say ExxonMobil gave more money to President George W. Bush's election campaign than any other oil company and has since benefited from his decision in March to ditch the Kyoto agreement on greenhouse gas emissions.

The company does not, the campaigners say, accept a link between fossil fuels and global warming, nor does it invest in renewable energy or green fuels.

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ExxonMobil earned $5 billion in profits in the first quarter of the year.

A Stop Esso campaign spokesman said: "We're not going to let Esso get away with polluting the planet to make their billions.

"They are not too big for the rest of us to stop them. If Esso choose to sabotage the fight against global warming, we can choose to sabotage their profits."

Bianca Jagger, the former wife of Rolling Stone Mick, who was at the launch of a billboard campaign in London, added: "Often we as individuals feel powerless in the face of this catastrophe that is unfolding.

"But with this campaign we can make a difference. We can say enough, we can say stop. We will make our voices heard."

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Esso said in a statement that the "counter-productive" boycott would have no effect on the U.S. government and could harm businesses in the UK.

The company also maintained it took environmental matters seriously. "We are concerned about the climate change issue, but, like many others, we do not support the Kyoto Protocol because we believe that it is seriously flawed and would potentially do more harm than good.

"We fear that it would impose significant economic costs in the developed world, while doing little to achieve its goal of reducing emissions."

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Stop Esso
Esso UK
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