How We Know They Knew

Investigative journalists, environmental organizations, government committees and others have unearthed documentation that proves that the fossil fuel industry has known for decades that their product would damage the planet's climate.

Listed below are a sampling of articles covering the topic.

 

“What Big Oil knew about climate change, in its own words”
Franta, Benjamin, theconversation.com
(Oct. 21, 2021)

“Smoke and Fumes:  The Legal and Evidentiary Basis for Holding Big Oil Accountable for the Climate Crisis”
Center For International Environmental Law, ciel.org, p. 7 – 26
(Nov. 2017)

“Imperial Oil Document Trove”
Climate Investigations Center,  climateinvestigations.org
(Dec. 3, 2019)

“The Reason Fossil Fuel Companies Are Finally Reckoning With Climate Change”
Worland, Justin, time.com
(Jan. 16, 2020)

“Exxon Knew about Climate Change almost 40 Years ago”
Hall, Shannon, scientificamerican.com
(Oct. 26. 2015)

“Tracing Big Oil’s PR war to delay action on climate change”
Powell, Alvin,  news.harvard.edu
(Sept. 28, 2021)

“What we now know … they lied’: how big oil companies betrayed us all”
McGreal, Chris, theguardian.com
(Apr. 21, 2022)

“Canadian Oilsands Firm Denied Its Own Science On Climate Change”
Dembicki, Geoff, thetyee.ca
(Dec.11, 2019)