- Sep 16, 2012
- 14,169
- 14,520
- 2,405
The above posts by the climate deniers show just how successful the disinformation campaign promulgated by the fossil fuel companies have been. In a recent BBC article , Phoebe Keene, explained how Exxon used ”the tobacco playbook” to sow doubt about anthropogenic climate change.
Let us look at Exxon employee, Marty Hoeffert. The story begins in 1981.
“Marty Hoffert was one of the first scientists to create a model which predicted the effects of man-made climate change. And he did so while working for Exxon, one of the world's largest oil companies, which would later merge with another, Mobil.
At the time Exxon was spending millions of dollars on ground-breaking research. It wanted to lead the charge as scientists grappled with the emerging understanding that the warming planet could cause the climate to change in ways that could make life pretty difficult for humans.
Hoffert shared his predictions with his managers, showing them what might happen if we continued burning fossil fuels in our cars, trucks and planes.
But he noticed a clash between Exxon's own findings, and public statements made by company bosses, such as the then chief executive Lee Raymond, who said that "currently, the scientific evidence is inconclusive as to whether human activities are having a significant effect on the global climate".
"They were saying things that were contradicting their own world-class research groups," said Hoffert.
Angry, he left Exxon, and went on to become a leading academic in the field.”
Hoeffert went on to say, that what Exxon did was “immoral. They spread doubt about the dangers of climate change when their own researchers were confirming how serious a threat it was."
Exxon then undertook the same tactic of disinformation that the tobacco companies did to discredit the science. But it wasn’t just Exxon.
“But this isn't just about Exxon's past actions. In the same year as the Levine presentation, 1989, many energy companies and fossil fuel dependent industries came together to form the Global Climate Coalition, which aggressively lobbied US politicians and media”.
It is unfortunate for us that these slut purveyors of lies were so successful
As can be seen from the above denier posts, the fossil fuel disinformation campaign still resonates. We are all now feeling the consequences.
See also:
In a Federal District Court in San Francisco, five oil companies argued before a judge on facts that uphold the 95-100 percent likelihood that human activity has been the dominant cause of the global warming of Earth since the mid-20th century.
“......Chevron was represented by Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney with the firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Boutrous did not deny the science behind climate change and based his presentation on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, published in 2013. Dr. Myles Allen, who had been the first presenter in this courtroom hearing, had been the lead author on the Fifth Assessment report. The assessments are status reports that provide an update on the knowledge of the scientific, technical, and socioeconomic aspects of climate change.
“Chevron accepts the consensus in the scientific communities on climate change,” said Boutrous. There’s no debate about climate science”.
www.independent.com
Like tobacco, times-a-changing.
Let us look at Exxon employee, Marty Hoeffert. The story begins in 1981.
“Marty Hoffert was one of the first scientists to create a model which predicted the effects of man-made climate change. And he did so while working for Exxon, one of the world's largest oil companies, which would later merge with another, Mobil.
At the time Exxon was spending millions of dollars on ground-breaking research. It wanted to lead the charge as scientists grappled with the emerging understanding that the warming planet could cause the climate to change in ways that could make life pretty difficult for humans.
Hoffert shared his predictions with his managers, showing them what might happen if we continued burning fossil fuels in our cars, trucks and planes.
But he noticed a clash between Exxon's own findings, and public statements made by company bosses, such as the then chief executive Lee Raymond, who said that "currently, the scientific evidence is inconclusive as to whether human activities are having a significant effect on the global climate".
"They were saying things that were contradicting their own world-class research groups," said Hoffert.
Angry, he left Exxon, and went on to become a leading academic in the field.”
Hoeffert went on to say, that what Exxon did was “immoral. They spread doubt about the dangers of climate change when their own researchers were confirming how serious a threat it was."
Exxon then undertook the same tactic of disinformation that the tobacco companies did to discredit the science. But it wasn’t just Exxon.
“But this isn't just about Exxon's past actions. In the same year as the Levine presentation, 1989, many energy companies and fossil fuel dependent industries came together to form the Global Climate Coalition, which aggressively lobbied US politicians and media”.
It is unfortunate for us that these slut purveyors of lies were so successful
As can be seen from the above denier posts, the fossil fuel disinformation campaign still resonates. We are all now feeling the consequences.
How the oil industry made us doubt climate change
Energy companies stand accused of trying to downplay their contribution to global warming.
www.bbc.com
See also:
In a Federal District Court in San Francisco, five oil companies argued before a judge on facts that uphold the 95-100 percent likelihood that human activity has been the dominant cause of the global warming of Earth since the mid-20th century.
“......Chevron was represented by Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney with the firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Boutrous did not deny the science behind climate change and based his presentation on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, published in 2013. Dr. Myles Allen, who had been the first presenter in this courtroom hearing, had been the lead author on the Fifth Assessment report. The assessments are status reports that provide an update on the knowledge of the scientific, technical, and socioeconomic aspects of climate change.
“Chevron accepts the consensus in the scientific communities on climate change,” said Boutrous. There’s no debate about climate science”.
Oil Companies Admit to Contributing to Climate Change — and Blame You
Evidence on temperature, weather, sea level, and greenhouse gases was presented at trial.
www.independent.com
Like tobacco, times-a-changing.
Last edited:
Folded rather quickly this time...
