Executives privately sought to downplay link between fossil fuels and climate change despite public pronouncements, WSJ reports
ExxonMobil executives privately sought to undermine climate science even after the oil and gas giant publicly acknowledged the link between fossil fuel emissions and climate change, according to previously unreported documents revealed by the Wall Street Journal.
The new revelations are based on previously unreported documents subpoenaed by New York’s attorney general as part of an investigation into the company announced in 2015. They add to a slew of documents that record a decades-long misinformation campaign waged by Exxon, which are cited in a growing number of state and municipal lawsuits against big oil.
Many of the newly released documents date back to the 2006-16 tenure of former chief executive Rex Tillerson, who oversaw a major shift in the company’s climate messaging. In 2006, Exxon publicly accepted that the climate crisis posed risks, and it went on to support the Paris agreement. Yet behind closed doors, the company behaved differently, the documents show.
“we acknowledge that we are part of the problem, but it’s important to remember that I might be dead before any of these terrible things directly affect me. So in the mean time we need to extract as much money as possible in as short amount of time as possible in order to keep me in more weath than I could ever spend”
Incidentally why I believe that every major decision needs to be undersigned by at least 50% people under the age of 30, that explicitly sign that they are also to be held criminally responsible for anything these decisions result in even after they are no longer part of the compant and that they are only signing this after having reached a mutual agreement with the older people about this situation.
Can’t find enough youngsters to sign that? Well, no major corporate decision it is. And no political lawmaking either, of course.
Hang them and distribute their funds to climate change. Family should not receive a single penny either.
Imagine knowingly throwing humanity under the bus to make a quick buck because you know you’ll be dead by the time the consequences come.
I don’t often find myself agreeing with cruel and unusual punishment, but if anyone deserves to suffer Hell on Earth, it’s these people. They deserve to feel the pain they’ve caused through their money-making malice.
This is why jail time for executives, large shareholders, and decision maling employees needs to be more of a thing.
I routinely see people driving dangerously every time I leave the house. What if its not just these executives but our culture as a whole. Like they’re the symptom of a much bigger disease
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Its not that simple. There is no fix.
“But having worked with some of these colleagues earlier in my career, I have the benefit of knowing they are people of good intent,” he said. “None of these old emails and notes matter, though. All that does is that we’re building an entire business dedicated to reducing emissions – both our own and others’ – and spending billions of dollars on solutions that have a real, sustainable impact.”
This person makes a good point, but they fail to realize that it can also be true that these (often former) executives should still be prosecuted for, at minimum, misleading shareholders.
“Why not for fucking up the planet?” you might ask. Because lying about global warming is not illegal. Misleading shareholders on the future viability of your company, despite internal documentation stating the opposite of your external public opinions and business actions, is illegal.
These people are the reason tar and feather needs to make a comeback. Take their wealth and make them walk the streets naked in shame.
Even better, take some of their money and staple it to them as a replacement for taring and feathering.
This website is a solid repository of leaker memos, documents and transcriptions from fossil fuel industries attempts to spread doubt and plot to discredit any action that would impact them. There are some bangers in here. Its eye opening to see letters and emails from decades ago where these people flat conspire to undermine any climate initiative’s
