ExxonMobil
Flagged · AvoidOne of the world's largest oil companies, and the company that sued its own shareholders for filing a climate resolution, setting a legal precedent that chilled shareholder climate activism across the entire industry.
Last updated July 20, 2026
↓ Skip to 9 ethical alternativesReasons to avoid
Issues span:Environment
- The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way in January 2024 for Minnesota's climate deception lawsuit against ExxonMobil to proceed after the company attempted to move the case to federal court. Minnesota's attorney general filed the suit in 2020 alleging ExxonMobil ran a decades-long campaign to deceive the public about fossil fuels' role in climate change, despite its own scientists having warned of the risks since the 1950s.
- A 2025 Carbon Majors report found that 36 fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil, were responsible for more than 20 billion tons of CO2 emissions in 2023, accounting for roughly half of all global carbon output. Emissions from these companies continued rising despite international climate commitments.
- Alaska's News Source reported in March 2026 that the Exxon Valdez oil spill, now 37 years old, has left permanent damage that marine scientists say will never fully heal. The Pacific herring fishery has not recovered, killer whale populations remain below pre-spill levels, and a marine conservation biologist who responded to the disaster said the science confirms the ecosystem will never return to what it was before.
- ExxonMobil became the first major corporation in history to sue its own shareholders over a climate-related resolution, filing suit in January 2024 against investor groups that asked the company to reduce its carbon emissions. The company continued the lawsuit even after the shareholders withdrew their resolution, a move NPR reported was widely seen as an attempt to intimidate future climate-activist investors.
Ethical alternatives
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Valero
Independent refiner and marketer with lower climate lobbying spend.
Sunoco
Fuel distributor with independently owned stations.
Marathon
Petroleum refiner with diverse fuel options.
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Common Questions
- Is ExxonMobil ethical?
- ExxonMobil's own scientists warned of climate risks from fossil fuels as early as the 1950s, yet the company ran a decades-long campaign to deceive the public about those risks, which is now the subject of a Minnesota attorney general lawsuit. ExxonMobil became the first major corporation to sue its own shareholders over a climate resolution in 2024, a move widely seen as designed to intimidate future climate investors.
- Why are people boycotting ExxonMobil?
- The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill caused permanent ecosystem damage that marine scientists say will never fully heal, with the Pacific herring fishery and killer whale populations still below pre-spill levels. ExxonMobil is also among a group of 36 fossil fuel companies responsible for roughly half of all global carbon emissions in 2023 despite international climate commitments.
- What are the best ethical alternatives to ExxonMobil?
- For gas, Valero, Sunoco, and Marathon are independent alternatives with lower climate lobbying footprints. Switching to an electric vehicle from brands like Rivian, Polestar, or Hyundai/Kia EVs eliminates oil dependency. Public transit reduces individual carbon footprint without any vehicle purchase at all.