How Big Oil Funded Decades of Climate Change Denial and Delay
How Big Oil Funded Decades of Climate Change Denial and Delay
How Big Oil Funded Decades of Climate Change Denial and Delay
Major oil companies have knowingly propagated climate change denial and delay for decades, a claim supported by a recent Wall Street Journal investigation into ExxonMobil's activities. This in-depth report uncovers how Big Oil's web of denial has evolved, casting a long shadow over efforts to combat climate change.
Section 1: The Shift from Research to Denial
The 1970s: Acknowledging the Science
In the 1970s, ExxonMobil and other major oil companies pioneered climate research. These efforts were not mere scientific curiosity; they were a response to emerging concerns about the impacts of burning fossil fuels on the Earth's climate. Exxon's researchers confirmed these fears, acknowledging the harmful effect of carbon dioxide emissions on global warming as early as 1977. An internal memo from Exxon from that period indicated that "the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels."
The 1980s: Realization and Rethinking
Exxon took the research seriously enough to equip its giant tanker, the Esso Atlantic, with CO2 measuring devices in the late 1970s. Yet, by the 1980s, the company's stance started shifting. The turning point can be seen around 1985 when the oil industry began to grasp the economic repercussions that any policy to reduce carbon emissions would entail. The immediate fear was regulation: governments would take punitive or restrictive measures affecting their business model.
The Strategy of Doubt
By the mid-1980s, oil companies, led by ExxonMobil, began to change their strategy from engagement with scientific inquiry to sowing seeds of public doubt in the science of climate change. This involved financing and publishing climate denial studies in obscure journals, using public relations campaigns to question scientific consensus, and lobbying to prevent regulatory action.
Public and Private Dissonance
Public statements and advertising campaigns from the oil companies promoted a narrative of uncertainty and ongoing debate among scientists about whether climate change was real and caused by human activities. Internally, however, the companies were unified in their understanding of the science. This dissonance became part of their strategy: to privately acknowledge climate change in scientific circles while denying or casting doubt on it in public.
The Funding Web
ExxonMobil, in particular, became a significant funder of think tanks and organizations like the Competitive Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, and The Cato Institute. These organizations produced literature, organized events, and even drafted regulations to delay climate action, casting doubt on the extent and causes of climate change.
Section 2: Decades of Manipulation
The 1990s and Kyoto Protocol: Evading Global Commitments
In the late 1990s, the international community attempted to make a unified move against climate change with the Kyoto Protocol. At this juncture, the Global Climate Coalition (GCC), which included ExxonMobil and other big fossil fuel companies, was formed. The GCC successfully lobbied the U.S. Senate to reject the Kyoto Protocol, undermining one of the first significant international efforts to tackle climate change.
The American Petroleum Institute’s Secret Plan
In the late 1990s, the American Petroleum Institute (API), an industry trade organization, developed a covert communications strategy to influence public opinion. This “Global Climate Science Communications Plan” called for a multi-million dollar public relations campaign to challenge the scientific consensus on climate change and included measures to train and fund scientists willing to counter the mainstream scientific position.
The 2000s: Ties to Political Power
With the election of George W. Bush in 2000, many former oil industry executives and lobbyists found their way into influential positions, most notably Vice President Dick Cheney, the former CEO of Halliburton. This led to a period of climate policy stagnation at the federal level despite growing public awareness and concern.
The New Millennium: Adaptation and Expansion
The climate denial machinery began to adapt in the face of rising activism and increased public awareness. New think tanks like the Heartland Institute were funded, and older ones increased their efforts to create an appearance of scientific debate where there was none.
The Koch Brothers: Private Funding for Public Deception
While ExxonMobil was a key player, they were not acting alone. Private billionaires like the Koch brothers became significant financiers of climate denial, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a complex network of organizations to undermine climate science and oppose any form of regulation or taxation of fossil fuels.
Trump Era: A Boost for Denialism
The election of Donald Trump in 2016 significantly boosted climate denialism. Trump, who once claimed climate change was a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, took significant steps to dismantle environmental regulations, including pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement.
Wall Street Journal's Recent Revelation
A recent Wall Street Journal investigation has shown that ExxonMobil continued its funding of climate denial into the current day despite public pledges to support climate action.Wall Street Journal Article
Section 3: The Far-Reaching Consequences
Environmental Toll
Perhaps the most immediate impact of big oil's campaign against climate action is worsening global environmental conditions. The delay in enacting stringent emission-reducing measures has led to an escalation in global warming, resulting in increasingly severe weather patterns, rising sea levels, and devastating loss of biodiversity. Essentially, the lost time is a loss for the planet itself, making the effects of climate change more pronounced and less reversible.
Social and Economic Ramifications
Climate change disproportionately affects the world's most vulnerable populations, often in the Global South. Droughts, floods, and extreme weather events burden economies, triggering mass migrations and conflicts over resources. The cost of inaction can be counted in millions of lives affected, billions of dollars in lost GDP, and an incalculable loss in human potential.
Democracy Undermined
Big oil’s misleading campaigns, lobbying, and political donations have also undermined democratic institutions. The spreading of misinformation and the financing of climate denial creates a distorted public sphere where facts are obfuscated by lies, thereby preventing informed democratic decision-making.
Legal Challenges and Scrutiny
As evidence continues to mount against them, big oil companies increasingly face legal action. Activists and state and local governments have filed lawsuits alleging fraud, negligence, and human rights violations. Investigations, like the one undertaken by New York’s Attorney General, are turning up damning evidence of deceit and misinformation.
Ethical Implications and Accountability
The ethical dimension is inescapable. As guardians of an increasingly endangered biosphere, the human race is ethically obligated to take immediate and effective action against climate change. Big oil’s long-standing campaign against this undermines climate action and constitutes a severe ethical failing that future generations may rightly judge harshly.
The Prospect of Divestments and Regulation
In response to the actions of big oil companies, many entities—from educational institutions to entire countries—are considering or have already implemented fossil fuel divestment. Further, regulatory changes, including carbon taxation and restrictions on drilling, are being actively discussed as ways to hold these companies accountable for their past and current activities.
A Harvard Study Sounds the Alarm
A study by Harvard University underscored that oil companies' actions have long discouraged meaningful climate action. The research cites that this has lasting implications for any future climate agreements and hampers our global ability to limit global warming to manageable levels. Harvard Gazette Article
Conclusion: The Path Forward
Facing the Facts
We now find ourselves at a critical juncture in history, where the evidence against big oil's campaigns of climate denial and delay is overwhelming. The facts lay bare the high stakes involved: our planet’s health, the welfare of its inhabitants, and the integrity of democratic governance are all being compromised.
The Costs of Inaction
Decades have been lost due to calculated misinformation campaigns, leading to increased carbon emissions, escalating climate disasters, and a more arduous path to recovery. The cost of these lost years is incalculable, and they cannot be regained. What we can control is how we act today and tomorrow.
Regulatory and Legal Steps
One avenue of redress lies in the hands of the judiciary and regulators. Stricter regulations on emissions and financial penalties for misleading the public could act as both a punishment and a deterrent. As citizens, we can press our lawmakers to accelerate such measures and support ongoing legal challenges against these corporations.
The Power of Public Sentiment
Public opinion is a potent force that can shape corporate behaviour and influence political action. Through education and activism, the narrative can be shifted away from denial and towards urgent action. Each individual can contribute to this change by making informed choices about consumption and holding their elected officials accountable.
Corporate Accountability
Corporations themselves have a role to play. Transparency in climate impact and transition plans aligned with the Paris Agreement's goals should be the minimum standard, not a lofty aspiration. Stakeholders—including shareholders, consumers, and employees—have the power to pressure these companies to enact meaningful change.
Collaborative Action for Climate Justice
The solution to this complex issue will require a multi-pronged, collaborative approach. Governments, civil society, the media, academia, and everyday citizens must unite to counteract the years of deception and to press for immediate, effective action against climate change.
Recommendations for Readers
Educate and Spread Awareness: Make it a mission to educate yourself and others about the facts of climate change and the science that supports it.
Vote with Your Wallet: Boycott companies that fund climate denial and invest in organizations committed to environmental sustainability.
Engage in Civic Action: Participate in community efforts aimed at environmental conservation and petition your lawmakers for stricter environmental regulations.
Support Accountability: Back legal and political measures aimed at holding these companies responsible for their role in climate change.
We cannot afford to let another decade slip by. The urgency of the situation requires swift and comprehensive action to hold those responsible for years of delay and denial accountable and urgently address the escalating climate crisis. The path forward is challenging, but it is one that we must walk together, armed with truth, determination, and a commitment to justice.