On 3 November 2026, the organisation LobbyControl in Berlin’s government district near the Brandenburg Gate presented the first award in its new negative-award series, Climate Walk of Shame The Climate Foot-Dragging Award, in the shape of a burning oil drop, went to the US company ExxonMobil. According to LobbyControl, the author and comedian Marc-Uwe Kling gave the laudation; the event was accompanied by cultural performances.
LobbyControl said the award was justified by decades of PR and lobbying strategies that had delayed or watered down effective climate action. The organisation points to internal ExxonMobil research into climate risks dating back to the 1970s, as well as continued lobbying against stricter rules, including European requirements to reduce methane emissions. The award is intended as a signal to shine a light on so-called climate obstruction networks and increase public pressure on political decision-makers.
According to consistent media reports, the negative award was directed at ExxonMobil at the event, but the symbolic accolade carries no specific legal consequences. The event is a high-profile intervention by a non-governmental organisation; any substantiated legal allegations against companies remain separate and are a matter for the courts and ongoing investigations.
The location and timing of the presentation were clearly intended to place it on the political stage in Berlin. LobbyControl says it wants to address the German public directly and prompt debate about channels of influence between industry, associations and politics in the orbit of the Bundestag and the federal government. The organisation also announced that it would continue the Climate Walk of Shame series and present the Burning Oil Drop regularly to actors it considers to have been particularly effective in opposing climate action. Whether this generates political pressure on specific legislative proposals in Berlin or Brussels will depend on the response from the public and parliaments.
ExxonMobil did not comment on the allegations at the event. In other contexts, the company regularly points to its own climate targets and investments in new energy technologies. These statements contrast with LobbyControl’s allegations that it has sought to influence policy against stricter requirements. The debate over responsibility, transparency and regulatory guardrails in climate policy is therefore likely to intensify further.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).