>>> IN THE PAST FEW YEARS WE HAVE SEEN A STRING OF LAWSUITS
TARGETING THE FOSSIL FUEL
COMPANIES.
COMPANIES. SOME MAKING THE ARGUMENT THAT
WAS SO SUCCESSFUL IN SUITS
AGAINST THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY.
BASICALLY THE COMPANY KNEW THE
THREATS IMPOSED BY PRODUCTS BUT
MISLED THE PUBLIC AND THERE WAS
NO CAUSE FOR ALARM.
>> I DON’T BELIEVE THAT NICOTINE
IN OUR PRODUCTS ARE ADITHDICTIVE
>> I BELIEVE THAT NICOTINE IS
NOT ADDICTIVE.
NOT ADDICTIVE. >> I BELIEVE THAT NICOTINE IS
NOT ADDICTIVE.
NOT ADDICTIVE. >> FOUR YEARS AFTER TOBACCO
EXECUTIVES WENT BEFORE CONGRESS
AND CLAIMED ABSURDLY THAT THEIR
PRODUCTS WERE NOT ADDICTIVE THE
NATION’S LARGEST TOBACCO
COMPANIES AGREED TO PAY HUNDREDS
OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO HELP
PAY FOR THE DAMAGE THEIR
PRODUCTS HAD CAUSED.
NOW A SIMILAR RECKONING MAY BE
COMING FOR THE NATION’S FOSSIL
FUEL COMPANIES.
FUEL COMPANIES. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE BIGGEST
OIL COMPANY IN THE WORLD WAS
ONCE A LEADER IN CLIMATE
RESEARCH.
RESEARCH. IN THE 1970s AND 1980s EXXON HAD
TOP SCIENTISTS STUDYING THE
POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE.
CHANGE. IT EVEN MODELED ITS RESEARCH
DIVISION ON BELL LABS.
>> THE RESEARCH INTO CLIMATE
CHANGE WAS NOT SOMETHING IN A
REMOTE CORNER OF EXXON.
IT WENT ALL THE WAY UP TO
EXXON’S TOP MANAGEMENT.
>> THE COMPANY WAS AWARE OF THE
SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM IT FACED.
ONE INTERNAL 1979 MEMO WARNED
THAT PRESENT TRENDS OF FOSSIL
FUEL COMBUSTION WITH A COAL
EMPHASIS WILL LEAD TO CLIMATE
CHANGE IN THE NEXT 72 YEARS AND
BUILD UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE
SAWORLDWIDE PROBLEM.
SAWORLDWIDE PROBLEM. BUT THEN SOMETHING SHIFTED IN
THE LATE 1980s WHEN THE PUBLIC
BEGAN TAKING CLIMATE CHANGE MORE
SERIOUSLY.
SERIOUSLY. >> SOME EXPERTS ARE SAYING NOW
THAT THE WHOLE WORLD IS HEATING
UP BECAUSE OF A GLOBAL
GREENHOUSE EFFECT.
GREENHOUSE EFFECT. >> THE PROBLEMS UNADDRESSED HAVE
THE POTENTIAL FOR TURNING THE
WORLD INTO A FORM OF CHAOS NOT
GREATLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT
PRODUCED BY GLOBAL WAR.
>> THAT’S WHEN EXXON’S PUBLIC
POSTURE CHANGED.
POSTURE CHANGED. >> THEY STARTED TO REALIZE THE
U.N. AND OTHERS WERE GOING TO
COME UP WITH MAYBE A PUBLIC
POLICY THAT WOULD AFFECT THEIR
BOTTOM LINE.
BOTTOM LINE. THIS WASN’T A REMOTE ISSUE
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE. IT WAS SOMETHING THEY NEEDED TO
ADDRESS NOW, AND THEY CHOSE TO
ADDRESS IT BY PLAYING UP THE
UNCERTAINTY AND USING A
NARRATIVE THAT WENT COUNTER TO
SCIENCE.
SCIENCE. >> EXXON STARTED SPENDING TENS
OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO
MANUFACTURE DOUBT ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE.
CHANGE. THE COMPANY FINANCING
ADVERTISEMENTS DESIGNED TO LOOK
LIKE EDITORIALS AND FRINGE
RESEARCH, ALL MEANT TO QUESTION
THE GROWING SCIENTIFIC
CONSENSUS.
CONSENSUS. >> THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE
REMAINS INCONCLUSIVE AS TO
WHETHER HUMAN ACTIVITIES AFFECT
THE GLOBAL CLIMATE.
MANY SCIENTISTS AGREE THERE’S
AMPLE TIME TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
CLIMATE SYSTEMS AND CONSIDER
POLICY OPTIONS.
POLICY OPTIONS. SO THERE’S SIMPLY NO REASON TO
TAKE DRASTIC ACTION NOW.
>> THANKS IN NO SMALL PART TO
EXXON’S EFFORTS, U.S. LAWMAKERS
DID NOT TAKE SERIOUS ACTION TO
FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND BY THE YEAR 2010 NEARLY HALF
OF AMERICANS BELIEVED THE THREAT
OF GLOBAL WARMING WAS
EXAGGERATED.
EXAGGERATED. NOW A STRING OF LAWSUITS IS
SEEKING TO HOLD EXXON AND OTHER
COMPANIES RESPONSIBLE.
COMPANIES RESPONSIBLE. LAST YEAR CRAB FISHERMAN ON THE
WEST COAST SUED SEEKING
COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGE TO CRAB
POPULATIONS CAUSED BY WARMING
OCEANS.
OCEANS. MORE THAN A DOZEN CITIES AND
COUNTIES HAVE FILED LAWSUITS
SEEKING BILLIONS TO OFFSET THE
COSTS OF MITIGATING CLIMATE
CHANGE.
CHANGE. AND THREE STATES LAUNCHED
INVESTIGATIONS INTO EXXON AND
OTHER OIL COMPANIES WITH NEW
YORK AND RHODE ISLAND FILING
SUIT LAST YEAR.
AS THE COURT BATTLES HAVE RAMPED
UP A WARMING WORLD HAS BEEN LEFT
TO WONDER WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
>> WHAT IF EXXON HAD CONTINUED
DOWN THE PATH OF ACCEPTING
CLIMATE CHANGE, BEING A GOOD
FAITH ACTOR IN ALL THIS, WORKING
WITH THE GOVERNMENT?
WHERE WOULD BE RIGHT NOW IF THE
BIGGEST OIL COMPANY IN THE
WORLD, A LEADER IN THE INDUSTRY