Previously undisclosed internal documents from ExxonMobil, released as part of a 2019 Massachusetts lawsuit, reveal the company's early awareness of climate risks and efforts to downplay them. A 1988 memo from Exxon researcher Frank Sprow warned that global consensus on greenhouse gas mitigation could cause "substantial negative impacts on Exxon." The filings also include recent internal statements from Exxon scientists challenging the company's public claims about biofuels and carbon capture effectiveness.
These documents align with prior revelations from Inside Climate News and other investigations but provide new details on Exxon's internal deliberations from the 1980s through the 2010s. Their release coincides with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing arguments from Exxon and Suncor Energy seeking to halt a climate lawsuit from Boulder, Colorado — a decision that could affect over two dozen similar cases nationwide.
Aaron Regunberg of Public Citizen said the documents show "we have seen just a sliver of the evidence" of decades-long deception. Climate-related costs have exceeded $100 billion annually in the U.S. in four of the last five years, while Exxon reported nearly $19 billion in earnings in the first half of 2024. Exxon denies misleading the public, calling the lawsuits "meritless."
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing