The activists made sure that all the students attending the Engineering
Society's careers event were aware of Esso's lies on climate-change.
Sarah Hards, one of the protesters, said:

'Esso are continually putting profit before the needs of the planet.
They deny the science of climate-change, they have repeatedly sabotaged
international action to prevent climate-change, and their energy-outlook
spells disaster for the future.'

Although the event's organisers tried to have the protestors removed
from the Guildhall, where the event was taking place, the University
proctors refused to throw them out, instead reaffirming their right to
peaceful protest

Josh Robinson said: 'It's fantastic that the university authorities are
reinforcing our right to freedom of expression. We had no intention of
closing down the event, but the Engineering Society insisted on
depicting us as disruptive. We want to ensure that anyone thinking about
working for Esso knows the facts about their policies and their effects
on the planet.'

The students gave out copies of a briefing detailing Esso's lies on
climate-change, available at
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~jmr59/wewty_briefing.pdf

Notes

1. Climate-change is the gravest issue facing the planet today: The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate-Change predicts that, unless action
is taken to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other
climate-changing pollutants, we will experience more heat waves and
floods; glaciers and polar ice are set to continue melting; sea levels
could rise by up to six metres; many plant and animal species will
become extinct; outbreaks of diseases will become more common; millions
of people will be forced to move.

2. Esso has been instrumental in persuading the Bush Administration to
pull out of the Kyoto protocol, the only internationally co-ordinated
action which is likely to reduce the effects of climate-change.

3. Esso denies the science of climate-change, repeatedly seeking to
undermine the findings of the IPCC. Esso still claims that:
'scientifically unfounded scare scenarios were and continue to be
promoted in an effort to justify the (Kyoto) Protocol'.

4. Esso's energy-policy spells disaster for the future: they predict a
40% rise in energy-use over the next 20 years, of which they expect 90%
to come from oil and other fossil fuels. This will take atmospheric CO2
levels to catastrophic levels.

5. Esso refuses to invest in renewable energy. Esso made $15billion in
profits worldwide in 2001. In the same year it spent $7.9billion on oil
and gas exploration and production - and not one dollar on renewable
energy or green fuels.

6. The Stop Esso campaign - made up of activists from Greenpeace,
Friends of the Earth and People & Planet - continues to highlight Esso's
repeated lies on climate-change in attempt to change their policies

7. People & Planet is the UK's biggest student campaigning-network,
calling for action on Global Poverty, Human Rights and the Environment.
Their briefing on Esso's energy-policy can be found at
 http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~jmr59/wewty_briefing.pdf