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Is a titanic shift taking place at Exxon Mobil?

Like a major piece of glacial ice cracking away from a larger continental ice sheet and calving into the sea, only to melt away, the largest oil producer in the world appears to be on the verge of seriously engaging greenhouse gas as a policy question rather than funneling millions of dollars to faux-think tanks created to deny the existence of global warming.

Or so suggests a rapidly developing story titled Exxon Cutting Ties To Global Warming Skeptics from Reuters reporter Timothy Gardner. The implication is that Exxon Mobil Corp. may be starting to distance itself from the shrinking group of climate change denialists. The company has come under a firestorm of public scrutiny for its apparent two-sided approach to the science of climate change: On the one hand, corporate executives have vowed that they want to be part of constructive dialogue on how to approach CO2 emissions related to the burning of fossil fuels; meanwhile, the company has also channeled large sums of money behind the scenes to front groups operating with the express purpose of confusing and blunting the release of emerging science in order to delay action.

Later this winter, a report is expected to arrive from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that will be the most forceful declaration to date on the causes and potential consequences of a warming planet. The past year, 2006, according to NOAA conclusions reported this week, was the warmest on human record.

Gardner wrote in his report Friday for Reuters: "Mark Boudreaux, a spokesman for Exxon, the world's biggest publicly traded company, said its position on climate change has been 'widely misunderstood and as a result of that, we have been clarifying and talking more about what our position is."

The story noted that Exxon Mobil has been participating in discussions with the non-profit group Resources for the Future, WorldWatch Institute, and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility about how to become constructively engaged in talks, some of which will soon be spearheaded by the new Congress.

Another organization that has been playing a leading role in fostering discussions with industry is the Energy Future Coalition involving former Colorado Sen. Timothy Wirth, president of the UN Foundation created through a $1 billion donation from philanthropist Ted Turner; Mike Finley, former superintendent of Yellowstone National Park and president of the Turner Foundation; and through John Podesta, president and CEO of the Center for Center for American Progress. Mr. Podesta previously served as chief of staff for President Bill Clinton. The Energy Future Coalition is lead by Reid Detchon and its advisory council includes well-known representatives from the business world as well as economists, academics and former elected leaders from both political parties.

Does this latest news signal a major change in direction for Exxon and one that may sway the White House to begin a real public dialogue on climate change perhaps resulting in a summit? The true test of Exxon's sincerity, observers say, is waiting to see if the company actually pulls the plug on funding to groups that have attempted to descredit the work of the leading climate scientists in the world.

By Todd Wilkinson, 1-12-07