Exxon going green? Not exactly, in fact, not at all.

Two interesting articles looking at the recent Exxon announcement.

First the Guradian breaks the story.

Oil giant works on its PR

The leadership at ExxonMobil has promised investors that it will "soften" its public image in a bid to rid itself of a reputation for being green campaigners' public enemy number one.

So far, so good. However:

The company told the Guardian it was determined not to change its position, just to explain it better: "Greenhouse gas emissions are one of the factors that contribute to climate change," it said.

"This is an extremely complex issue but even with the scientific uncertainties, the risk (of global warming) is so great that it justifies taking action."

Think Progress have a neat little post on this story (Think Progress are another of these scary American think tanks by the look of it albeit left leaning this time (if that makes sense in a US context))

Think Progress is a project of the American Progress Action Fund. The Center for American Progress Action Fund is a nonpartisan organization. With the blog, CAPAF seeks to provide a forum that advances progressive ideas and policies.

The final paragraph from the article states:
Exxon’s New Position On Global Warming, Same As Its Old Position On Global Warming

Exxon can attempt to soften its language as much as it wants, but its record remains clear. According to a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, Exxon has “funneled nearly $16 million between 1998 and 2005 to a network of 43 advocacy organizations that seek to confuse the public on global warming science.” The big-oil front group the Competitive Enterprise Institute has received $1.6 million from Exxon since 1998, using the funding to distort global warming research and attack any meaningful action to regulate carbon dioxide emissions.

Hat-tip: David Roberts.