Climate Activists Get Renewed Victory After Third Member Elected To Exxon’s Board

Exxon Mobil will likely face new pressure to better address climate change and shift toward renewable energy sources.

Climate activists won yet another victory against Exxon Mobil on Wednesday after a third member was elected to the oil giant’s board, raising the stakes for the company amid criticism it has done little to address the growing threat of climate change. Exxon said Alexander Karsner, a strategist who works at Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and who has experience in renewable energy fields, secured enough votes to sit on the board. He served as the assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy at the Department of Energy under President George W. Bush and has worked for companies that helped build large solar plants, bringing deep environmental credentials to the fossil fuel producer, The New York Times reported. Karsner joins two other board members pushed by a small, activist hedge fund called Engine No. 1 that rallied some of Exxon’s biggest investors into calling for the oil giant to shift its business model to better address climate change and ultimately invest in renewable energy sources. Gregory Goff and Kaisa Hietala were also elected last mont, both of whom have experience in the energy industry. A fourth nominee touted by Engine No. 1 was defeated.