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Exit|1 of 4 in Exxon & Shell
advertorialenergy·1977 / unsealed 1997

Exxon 1977 management briefing vs 1997 advertorial

The Public RegisterNovember 1997
Mobil Corporationadvertorial sponsored essay, The New York Times Op-Ed Page Advertorial
Reset the climate clock... The science of climate change is too uncertain to mandate a plan of action that could plunge economies into turmoil. Let's not rush to judgment before facts are in.
The Private ArtifactJuly 1977
James F. BlackSenior Scientific Advisor, Exxon Research & Engineering, Exxon Management Committee Briefing, Exxon Headquarters, NYC
There is general scientific agreement that the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels... mankind has a time window of 5 to 10 years before the need for hard decisions.
Exhibit: Black_1977_Exxon_Archive

The Split:Twenty years before Mobil bought full-page New York Times ads demanding we 'reset the climate clock' because the science was supposedly 'too uncertain', its senior scientist had already briefed the board that scientific agreement was clear and fossil fuels were the primary cause.

The Tell (How to spot this next time):

When an energy firm pleads for 'more time to study the science' in an advertorial, check if their scientists concluded the study two decades earlier.

journalism-archive pipeInvestigated by InsideClimate News and confirmed in Climate Files archive.