Climate researchers are making serious accusations against the oil company ExxonMobil: the American company has been accurately predicting global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions since the late 1970s, but has been systematically downplaying this connection for decades.
Harvard University and Potsdam Institute for Climate Research (PIK) climate researchers reviewed the company’s internal data and forecasts based on it from 1977 to 2003 and published their findings in the journal “Science” – calling the result “amazing”.
While Exxon had long known about the threat of global warming, it was now clear how well they knew. The Exxon experts were apparently way ahead of climate research: “We find that most of their projections predict warming consistent with later observations,” the report says. “Their predictions were also consistent with, and at least as good as, those of independent academic and government models.”
Predictions better than NASA predictions
The predictions were therefore significantly better than those made by NASA scientist James Hansen in 1988 to the US Congress. Hansen is considered a pioneer of modern climate research and was one of the first to warn of the dangers of global warming in the 1980s.
“Even as far back as 1977, an Exxon projection correctly predicted that fossil fuel use would cause a ‘carbon dioxide-induced superinterglacial,'” explained Stefan Rahmstorf of PIK, co-author of the study. “This is an interglacial period that is not only much warmer than anything in the history of human civilization, but even warmer than the last interglacial period of 125,000 years ago.”
Exxon’s analyzes also “accurately predicted when human-induced global warming would first appear in measured data.” They even calculated quite accurately a “carbon budget” to limit global warming to two degrees.
‘Our own data systematically contradicted’
However, the researchers criticize the company’s systematic contradiction of “its own scientific data” in public statements. ExxonMobil exaggerated uncertainties, criticized climate models, propagated the myth of global cooling and feigned ignorance about when—and if—manmade global warming would be measurable,” said lead author Geoffrey Supran of Harvard University.
Today, climate change has progressed to the point where researchers can clearly see Earth heading into the aforementioned interglacial record period — with catastrophic consequences. ExxonMobil can therefore rightfully be accused of “intentional climate crimes,” Supran concluded.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
