Tuesday, 12 January 2016 00:00 By Marjorie Cohn, Truthout | Op-Ed
Exxon’s own research in the 1980s indicated that without major reductions in fossil fuel combustion, “[t]here are some potentially catastrophic events that must be considered.” (Photo: Luc B / Flickr)
More than 50,000 people from around the world came together in Paris in December 2015 to address the single biggest threat to the survival of the natural world – the climate crisis. There is virtual unanimity among scientists that the burning of fossil fuels is causing the warming of the planet, and if critical steps are not taken, a habitable world will cease to exist.
But there are entities that stand to lose if alternative sources of energy overtake coal, oil and natural gas. They are huge corporations, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and Texaco.
Indeed, from 1990 to 2005, Exxon – now called ExxonMobil – spent millions of dollars in a sophisticated campaign to cast doubt on the science of climate change. The oil giant knew better.
…(read more).
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