When Susan Avery was first nominated to ExxonMobil’s board in 2017 after pressure from shareholder advocates to bring on a climate scientist, many hoped that her expertise could help steer the oil major in a new direction. Avery — a physicist and atmospheric scientist — had spoken during her extensive career of the need to “get off fossil fuels as much as possible.”
More than seven years later, Avery is set to exit her role as chair of Exxon’s Environment, Safety, and Public Policy Committee with those hopes seemingly dashed. Evidence continues to mount that the oil giant is still spreading climate disinformation to delay action on fossil fuels, and it recently sued shareholders who proposed that it pursue emissions cuts.
Avery’s decision not to stand for reelection to the board was “for reasons unrelated to the company,” according to a February filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Avery, 74, is just shy of Exxon’s mandatory retirement age, though that was not cited in the filing — directors can run for reelection until they’re 75.
I thought I would hear more about Avery struggling valiantly and failing but it seems like this piece just offers more evidence that when you try to "change the system from inside," you will either get absorbed into the system and become another part of its operation, or spit out and then crushed under its treads. I wonder if Avery actually did try to fight at first and then saw there was no path that led to victory, so she decided to shut off her conscience and play along. Or if she was cynical from the very start and played off some naive shareholders to get her big payday. Either way, the end result is the same.