President criticises fossil fuels companies for funding “malicious” climate denial campaigns

President Mohamed Nasheed made an impassioned speech to Oxford students Friday evening, calling on students not to work for oil and coal companies who are poisoning the atmosphere, threatening climate vulnerable countries like Maldives and funding campaigns denying the existence of climate change.

In his speech, which was given at Britain’s famous debating chamber, the Oxford Union, President Nasheed was highly critical of what he called “campaigns of disinformation” against the science of climate change. 

The President stated that he sensed “weakness” behind attacks fuelled by the ‘Climategate’ to “malicious slurs” against people like Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Chair Rajendra Pachauri and former US President Al Gore.

“For me these campaigns of disinformation illustrate the death throes of the fossil fuel interests,” said the President.

Describing oil and coal companies as “dying industries”, the President said their dominance of the world economy was coming to an end.

It is natural,” he said, “that these powerful vested interests are fighting hard – for they are fighting for their own survival.”

Fossil fuel companies, he continued, knew that, sooner or later, the world’s politicians would wake up. 

“And when they do, they will stop fossil fuel firms dumping waste into the atmosphere as if, in Al Gore’s words, it were an open sewer,” added the President.

The President said that therefore it was no surprise they were attacking people who urged a shift towards renewable energy. 

“Our challenge is to ensure that the fossil fuel lobby doesn’t bring our planetary ecosystem down with it”, said President Nasheed.

Addressing a packed audience of students, President Nasheed urged them to ignore the “lure of the fossil fuel industry” but to “join the new, exciting economy of tomorrow” created by renewable energy and clean tech companies. 

In his speech, which was focused on climate change, the President reiterated his call for a fair and comprehensive climate package from Cancun summit.