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January 17, 2007 3:35 PM

Could it be true? Is Exxon actually going to mend its ways and get on board the Global Climate Change Train?

Exxon in 2006 stopped funding the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit advocating limited government regulation, and other groups that have downplayed the risks of greenhouse emissions. Last year, CEI ran advertisements, featuring a little girl playing with a dandelion, that downplayed the risks of carbon dioxide emissions.
Exxon, along with representatives from about 20 other companies, is participating in talks sponsored by Washington, D.C. nonprofit Resources for the Future. The think tank said it expected the talks would generate a report in the fall with recommendations to legislators on how to regulate greenhouse emissions.

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."

Misunderstood, my ass! This site very clearly details the connections Exxon has fostered over the years with Climate-Skeptic web sites.

What's happening is exactly what Terrapass has recently discussed:

There are absolutely no reasons at all to believe Exxon has any sincere interest in tackling climate change. But it doesn�t matter all that much. The news here is not that the Sierra Club has great new ally in the battle to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The news is that the ground has shifted enough that even companies like Exxon can no longer deny the obvious.

Amen to that!