A government-supported youth climate ambassadorship programme is accepting funding from a fossil fuel giant, a move one environmental scholar has called “hypocritical.”
Civic Exchange’s annual Young Environment Ambassador (YEA) Programme – launched in 2021 to “empower the next generation of environmental leaders” – counts ExxonMobil among its three funding organisations. The petrochemical company told HKFP that the funding spans the programme’s entire duration.
The other two funding organisations listed on the YEA webpage include Swire Properties and the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation HK. Several government departments and the Martine Museum are listed as supporters.
The US-headquartered oil and gas firm is rated the fifth top historic polluter by emissions, according to an Influence Map report based on 2023 data. It has been responsible for 2.76 per cent of all global carbon dioxide emissions, behind the former Soviet Union, China between 1945 and 2004, and fellow oil firms Saudi Aramco and Chevon.
When approached by HKFP, Civic Exchange did not respond as to how much ExxonMobil contributed, what proportion of funds were involved or why they were accepted as a programme sponsor.
However, Executive Director Lawrence Iu said on Tuesday that the think tank aimed to “engage stakeholders” in the city’s most pressing environmental challenges: “We maintain full editorial and programme independence, and all funders—regardless of sector—play no role in shaping our priorities or directing our work.”
Though the YEA website hails Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg, the activist has repeatedly criticised the involvement of oil giants at climate talks.
‘Hypocritical in the extreme’
On July 19, the YEA programme onboarded 30 Form 3 to Form 5 students at a ceremony attended by Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology Diane Wong.
In response to HKFP on Tuesday, ExxonMobil Hong Kong said it invests in the communities where they operate, though it also dodged questions over the proportion and amount of funds involved in the YEA sponsorship.
“We engage with key stakeholders, including governments and NGOs, to identify the best way to support each community’s unique development goals. We often participate in public-private partnerships to create long-term, positive economic and social development… We do not interfere in how the funding is utilized within the programme or the programme’s operation,” ExxonMobil Hong Kong said.
Paul G. Harris, professor of global and environmental studies at the Education University of Hong Kong, told HKFP on Thursday that – even if not intended – Civic Exchange may have helped the oil firm greenwash their practices.
“[F]or any organisation that claims to care about the environment, and the climate crisis in particular, to accept funding from Exxon seems hypocritical in the extreme,” Harris said. “It’s hard to identify any corporation — or indeed any entity — anywhere in the world that has done more to both cause the climate crisis and, very importantly, to sow doubt about the need for urgent action to curtail the use of fossil fuels.”
“Civic Exchange should know better, at least if it wants to be trusted on any environmental credentials, than to join the list of organizations that have accepted funding from Exxon. Civic Exchange may enjoy a financial windfall from Exxon’s support, but the result is moral bankruptcy. Alas, in a world — and a city — addicted to fossil fuels, this may not harm Civic Exchange’s bottom line. Money talks,” he added.
In response to HKFP on Wednesday, local environmentalist Paule De La Poype questioned whether it is “better for ExxonMobil to be supporting this kind of youth program, or to continue funding climate change denying scientific reports, given its historic record in that regard.”
She said securing funds can be difficult, though it would be preferable if oil firms were not involved. She added that it would be essential to ensure ExxonMobil does not interfere in the programme: “Perhaps having an external observer supervising the preparation and delivery would be a way for Civic Exchange to reassure the public.”
5th top historic polluter, 15th in 2023
In 2023, ExxonMobil was 15th top polluting entity of that year, according to the Influence Map report.
The company was also a driving force of climate change denialism until the mid-2000s. Though it has since acknowledged that burning fossil fuels adds to global warming, a 2023 Wall Street Journal report said that a culture of denialism continued internally for years afterwards.
When HKFP cited the report – which was based on the company’s own internal documents – ExxonMobil said that “debating the past may generate interesting headlines but as we have said, time and time again, climate change is real, and we have an entire business dedicated to reducing emissions.”
“We are pursuing up to US$30 billion in lower emission investments between 2025 and 2030, which include carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen, lithium, and lower emission fuels (LEF), among others,” the firm added, saying it was the first supplier of renewable diesel for public road use.
On Tuesday, the Independent reported that the oil giant is one of several facing a lawsuit in Honolulu, Hawaii over their historic greenhouse gas emissions.
Last year, 50 leading scientists warned that global warming has accelerated at an “unprecedented” pace, saying the window to limit rising temperatures within internationally-set targets was closing.
