A U.K.-based incentive company is taking a stand by refusing to do business with a company it believes contributes to global warming.

Tim Waygood, managing director of the Hertfordshire-based agency MotivAction, announced that his company would not do business with ExxonMobil because of its role in attempts to “undermine the scientific consensus on climate change.” This evolved from a statement last year from Britain's leading scientific academy, the Royal Society, which accused the oil giant and others of making "inaccurate and misleading" statements on global warming.

After an enquiry from ExxonMobil about running an event, Waygood wrote the company an e-mail stating, “We arrange all sorts of events that could fit your needs. However, as a company we are very concerned about climate change … and we are aware of evidence that ExxonMobil is funding climate change deniers. Given that this is the case it would not be appropriate for us to work with a company whose ethics are so opposed to ours."

In his blog, Waygood writes that MotivAction is taking a stand on ExxonMobil in particular because it “is the only major oil company that denies the urgency of global warming and funds global warming skeptics that cloud the facts and create a debate where there isn’t one.”

Waygood, who believes that meeting and event companies are well-positioned to effect change by introducing green practices into their clients' meetings, events, and communications, also called on his competitors to take up the charge. "We all have a big part to play in creating awareness, engagement, and action within our own businesses and by engaging our clients."

For more on the potential impact of global warming on the meetings and incentive industry, and how companies can make a difference through their meeting policies, look for the July issue of Corporate Meetings & Incentives, which will be devoted entirely to green meeting topics.