17 • By the beginning of the 1990s, at least one oil company had expressly acknowledged the potential scale, scope and severity of climate related risks ranging from the inundation of coastal areas, to more intense storms and droughts, to massive impacts on ecosystems and agriculture, with the result that massive numbers of climate refugees could be forced to flee affected areas. Despite these warnings and industry awareness of the potential hazards involved, the oil industry engaged in sustained, decades long campaigns to confuse the public about climate science and slow or stop efforts to reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions and develop, deploy and promote sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. Q20: What evidence, if any, do you have to support your statement? A20: Evidence in support of this statement includes several scientific studies, as well as internal memoranda and other company- or industry-produced documents. 1957--Oil industry on notice of accumulating CO2 in the atmosphere, the probable role of fossil fuel combustion, and emerging scientific discussion (October 1957) (Submitted for the record as documentary annex 20 to my testimony of May 23rd.) In 1957, Humble Oil – now ExxonMobil – was researching how the oceans absorbed carbon dioxide, directly engaging with and confronting a study by Roger Revelle and Hans Suess – often called the “opening shot” of the climate debate – from the same year. Inter alia, this paper: • Acknowledged that: Human activity appears to be adding carbon dioxide to the natural carbon cycle; • Combustion of fossil fuels appeared to be the largest source, by far, of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere; and • Callendar’s work indicated a “significant increase” in atmospheric CO2 concentrations over a period of at least sixty years. • Calculated cumulative CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion for preceding century, including a graph that showed a steady and very significant increase in emissions. • Used radiocarbon evidence to estimate the rate at which fossil carbon was entering the atmosphere and oceans. • Demonstrated conclusively that at least one major oil company was following and responding to cutting edge climate science in real time. 1958—Oil industry is funding coordinated research into atmospheric carbon from fossil fuels through API’s Smoke and Fumes Committee Two separate industry documents from 1958 demonstrate that, by no later than that year, the oil industry was funding coordinated research into atmospheric carbon from fossil sources.