By Timothy Gardner
New York - Exxon Mobil Corporation, a long-time opponent of mandatory regulations to combat climate change, met with US environmental groups last month to discuss how the oil behemoth might respond to global warming.
This move was the latest hint that the world's biggest public company could be open to shifting its position of opposing mandatory caps on emissions of heat-trapping gases.
Exxon organised an exclusive meeting with representatives from groups, including Washington environmental research group Worldwatch Institute and New York-based the Interfaith Centre on Corporate Responsibility, at meetings in Virginia to discuss climate change and human rights.
For years Exxon has struggled with climate policy Exxon spokesperson Mark Boudreaux confirmed the company organised the meeting, but said what transpired was confidential. Earlier this week the company said it is meeting in separate talks with representatives from about 20 companies to discuss potential US policy options on reducing heat-trapping emissions.
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Environmentalists were cautiously optimistic that all the talks could indicate that the company, which had long avoided meetings with nonprofit groups on global warming and dismissed investments in emissions-reducing sources of energy like solar power, could be considering a policy shift.
"Exxon could be reading the political tea leaves that emissions controls could be coming, but it has yet to agree to anything in which it would have to take mandatory action on climate change," said Gary Cook, the director of the US Climate Action Network.
Since Democrats won control of Congress in November, US energy companies have been nervously watching which route the United States may take on future regulations of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases scientists link to global warming.
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