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Manchester Campaigners Say “Don’t put a tiger in your Tank!”

news release

On Saturday 1st December, Manchester campaigners took part in a nationwide day of action against Esso, the world’s number one global warming villain [1]. Protesters gathered outside the Esso station opposite Manchester Apollo with banners, leaflets and tiger costumes and persuaded car drivers not to put a tiger in their tank! The Manchester protest was part of a nationwide day of action called by the “StopEsso” coalition [2] when hundreds of Esso garages around the country were targeted by people concerned about global warming. The day aimed to draw attention to Esso’s attempts to prevent a world agreement to tackle this problem from going ahead.

Esso is the biggest corporation in the world and has been working hard over the last decade to block a global agreement on action to stop global warming. Thanks to Esso’s lobbying, the United States pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol – the only international agreement to cut the pollution causing global warming. Esso still denies the link between climate change and the burning of oil, coal and gas. Esso made massive profits of $17.7 billion last year, and
expect to spend $7.9 billion this year looking for more oil, coal and gas, but yet refuse to invest in clean, renewable energy.

In September, the world’s top climate scientists published a new report which predicted that the earth’s temperature could rise by nearly 6 degrees centigrade by 2100 due to human activities [3]. This global climatic change will change our weather causing more droughts, floods and storms, and could cause sea levels to rise by nearly a metre.

Lauren Walker (Stop-Esso Manchester spokes-person), said,
“This is the biggest action ever taken against a single company, we will continue with the
boycott until Esso admits that its core business is causing global warming and until Esso stops opposing the Kyoto Protocol. Those most affected by climate change are the world’s poorest people, those least able to defend themselves against flooding and drought. We must take action now to stop global warming”

ENDS

For More Information
Michael Bane, Campaigns Coordinator, Manchester Friends of the Earth:
0161 275 6134 (w) / 07 947 606 950 (m) / 0161 226 9321 (h)

Lauren Walker, StopEsso spokesperson: 0161 221 0581(h)

National Information, Cindy Baxter (020 7354 5708)

Notes to Photo Editors
Campaigners, with “Stop Esso” road signs and tiger masks, will be meeting at the Esso petrol station opposite the Apollo theatre from 10:30am on Saturday 1 December.

Notes to Editors
1. Esso fund multi-million dollar propaganda organisations to dismiss the case for action to
protect the climate. Esso ran an advertising campaign in the US press condemning the
Kyoto Protocol (the global treaty to limit emissions of greenhouse gases) and lobbied
President Bush to pull out of the United Nations climate negotiations.

2. “Stop Esso” is a broad coalition founded by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and
People & Planet. Already thousands of individuals, including celebratories such as Sting
and Bianca Jagger, and businesses have pledged to boycott Esso. Stop Esso Day is
supported by a number of other environmental groups and political parties, including
Transport 2000, Plaid Cymru, and the Green Party.

3. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the world’s leading body of
climate scientists – predict average global temperature could rise 5.8% by 2100 as a
result of human activity. Our weather will also change (meaning an increase in extreme
weather events), many habitats will be affected and sea level will rise by up to 1 metre.

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