Climate experts urge leading scientists' association: reject Exxon sponsorship

James Hansen, Michael Mann and Kerry Emanuel among more than 100 researchers voicing concern over firm's 'complicity in climate denial'

Leading researchers have called on the world's largest association of Earth and space scientists to reject sponsorship from ExxonMobil, because of the oil company's record of funding climate denial.

In a letter made available to the Guardian, climate scientists James Hansen (formerly of Nasa), Michael Mann (Penn State), Kerry Emanuel (MIT) and more than 100 other researchers said they were deeply troubled by the "well-documented complicity of ExxonMobil in climate denial and misinformation".