In the mid 1980s, Exxon informed many of the other oil companies about this issue and essentially raised a red flag for them. France says throughout the 1980s, French company Total and others followed the strategies developed by Exxon to dispute and counter climate science. In the late 90s and early 2000s, the industry started to reposition itself as integral to solving climate change.
For years, fossil fuel companies have claimed to support climate science and policy. Many have recently pledged to hit net zero emissions by midcentury. Yet behind the scenes, they fight those very same policies through industry associations, shadow groups, and lobbying – all while spending vast sums on advertising and PR campaigns touting their climate commitments. This week we focus on the PR and consultancy firms helping fossil fuel companies delay the transition to clean energy while claiming they are on the side of climate protection.
Guests:
Michael Forsythe, Reporter, New York Times
Dr. Benjamin Franta, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Climate Litigation Lab, Oxford Sustainable Law Programme.
Jamie Henn, Founder and Director, Fossil Free Media
Christine Arena, former Executive Vice President, Edelman; Founder, Generous Films
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
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