Scientists at oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil made remarkably accurate predictions about global warming, even as the company made public statements that contradicted the findings of its own scientists, according to a new study.
Study reveals oil giant’s research predicted global warming with up to 83% accuracy
Posted: Jan 13, 2023 11:39 a.m. EST | Last updated: January 13
Scientists at oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil made remarkably accurate predictions about global warming, even as the company made public statements that contradicted the findings of its own scientists, according to a new study. On the same subject : Liteborne Motor Corp begins selling Skywell electric vehicles in the US.
The study published in the journal Science reveals that the Exxon-funded research not only confirmed what climatologists were saying at the time, but also used more than a dozen different computer models that predicted future warming with a accuracy equal to or better than that of governments and academics. scientists.
It was around the same time that the oil company publicly doubted the reality of warming and rejected the accuracy of climate models.
Exxon defended itself, saying its understanding of climate change has evolved over the years and critics misunderstand the company’s previous research.
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Ex-Exxon chief dismissed climate models as ‘speculation’
Scientists, governments, activists and news sites, including Inside Climate News and the Los Angeles Times, reported several years ago that “Exxon has been aware” of the science of climate change since around 1977, while publicly casting doubt.
The new study details the accuracy of Exxon-funded research: 63% to 83% of their projections meet strict standards of accuracy and generally correctly predict that the globe would warm by about 0. This may interest you : The FDA warns food companies about seafood and violating import laws.2°C per decade.
The Exxon-funded science was “actually astonishing” in its precision and accuracy, said study co-author Naomi Oreskes, a Harvard science history professor. She called the company “hypocrisy because much of Exxon Mobil’s misinformation for so many years…was the assertion that climate models were unreliable.”
The study’s lead author, Geoffrey Supran, who started the work at Harvard and is now a professor of environmental science at the University of Miami, said this was different from what had previously been found in documents on the oil company.
“Our analysis really seals the deal on ‘Exxon knew,'” Supran said. It “gives us compelling evidence that Exxon Mobil accurately predicted global warming years ago, then turned around and attacked the science behind it.”
The newspaper quoted Exxon CEO Lee Raymond in 1999 as saying that future climate projections “are based on totally unproven climate models, or more often, pure speculation”, while his successor in 2013 called the models of “non-competent”.
Company defends itself, claims facts misrepresented
Company spokesman Todd Spitler said Exxon’s understanding of climate science has grown with the wider scientific community, and its four decades of climate science research has resulted in more than 150 articles, including 50 peer-reviewed publications. On the same subject : Ford uses new high-tech stamping technology in Silverton.
“This question has been raised many times over the past few years, and in each case our response is the same: Those who talk about how ‘Exxon knew’ are wrong in their conclusions,” Spitler said in a mailed statement. electronic.
“Some have sought to misrepresent the facts and Exxon Mobil’s position on climate science, and its support for effective policy solutions, by recasting well-meaning internal political debates as an attempted corporate disinformation campaign. “
Exxon, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, has been the target of numerous lawsuits claiming the company knew about the damage its oil and gas would do to the climate, but misled the public by sowing doubt about climate change. In the latest such lawsuit, New Jersey has accused five oil and gas companies, including Exxon, of deceiving the public for decades while knowing about the harmful climate consequences of fossil fuels.
Donald Wuebbles, professor emeritus of atmospheric science at the University of Illinois, told The Associated Press that in the 1980s he worked with Exxon-funded scientists and was not surprised by what the company knew or models. That’s what science and people who looked at it knew.
“It was clear that Exxon Mobil knew what was going on,” Wuebbles said. “The problem is that at the same time they were paying people to spread false information. That’s the big problem.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Seth Borenstein is a reporter for the Associated Press.
What year did Exxon learn about climate change?
In July 1977, a senior Exxon scientist, James Black, reported to company executives that there was general scientific agreement at the time that burning fossil fuels was the most likely way in which the humanity was influencing global climate change.
When did Exxon Mobil learn about climate change? A slew of internal Exxon documents uncovered by researchers and journalists in recent years have shown the company was aware of the link between fossil fuels and climate change at least as early as the 1970s.
When did scientist warn us about climate change?
The current state of climate change Global greenhouse gas emissions have risen by around 40% over the past three decades, despite ringing alarm bells when more than 1,700 scientists signed the Global Warning scientists to humanity in 1992.
What did Exxon know about climate change?
Researchers report that Exxon scientists correctly ruled out the possibility of a coming ice age, accurately predicted that human-caused global warming would first be detectable in the year 2000, plus or minus five years, and reasonably estimated the amount of CO2 that would lead to dangerous warming. .
Do oil companies know about climate change?
Today, most oil companies are reluctant to outright deny climate science, but they continue to fight fossil fuel control and portray themselves as clean energy leaders, even though they still invest the vast majority of their investments in fossil fuels.
How long has the oil industry known about climate change? 5 times the oil and gas industry has acknowledged that climate change is real since 1954. Historical records show that oil industry scientists knew that CO2 and other pollutants impacted the climate.
What Big oil knew about climate change?
He found that with immediate action, if industry moved away from fossil fuels and instead focused on renewables, fossil fuel pollution could begin to decline in the 1990s and a major climate crisis could be avoided.
What does climate change have to do with oil?
When fossil fuels are burned, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the air. Greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere, causing global warming.
What company is doing the most for climate change?
What is the best climate change stock? Stocks like NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE), Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CWEN) are some of the most renowned names on this stock list.
What company has done the most for climate change?
| Greenhouse 100 Row | Parent company or entity | % of CO2 equivalent emissions from a single facility |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vistra Energy | 14% |
| 2 | duke energy | 15% |
| 3 | Southern Company | 23% |
| 4 | Berkshire Hathaway | 17% |
Which companies will benefit from climate change?
Thus, companies that produce solar energy, as well as wind and biomass energy companies will certainly benefit from the effects of climate change. Stocks in this group include Brookfield Renewable Partners, Acciona, Aleo solar, Alterra Power, Azure Power, Ballard Power Systems and Aventine Renewable Energy.
What organization is working on climate change?
Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the objective of the IPCC is to provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.
How long has Exxon known about climate change?
Exxon also had a secret research program. In 1981, one of its executives, Roger Cohen, sent an internal memo observing that the company’s long-term business plans could “produce effects which will indeed be catastrophic (at least for a substantial fraction of earth’s population).
When was the public informed about climate change? In the hot summer of 1988, a few outspoken scientists, convinced by new evidence that rapid climate change might be imminent, brought full public awareness to the problem. Scientific discussions were now intermingled with fierce political debates over the costs of regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
