warming at the poles. He concludes that, “[in] summary, the results of our research are in accord with the
scientific consensus on the effect on increased atmospheric CO2 on climate.”68
Later that year, on November 12, 1982, Exxon circulated a 43-page climate change primer to several
members of Exxon management to “familiarize Exxon personnel with the subject.”69 By this point, Exxon
was fully aware and internally acknowledging that climate change was real, caused by burning fossil
fuels, and would have significant impacts on the environment and human health and wellbeing.
By the Late 1980s, Climate Change Projections Were Being Used in Business and Operational
Planning
Internal documents uncovered by the L.A. Times and the Columbia School of Journalism demonstrate
that by the mid-1980s, Exxon was incorporating climate change projections into its Arctic operations
planning while discounting the risks when communicating with the public.70
In 1986, a team of researchers led by Ken Croasdale of
Imperial oil – an Exxon subsidiary – was “trying to
determine how global warming could affect Exxon’s Arctic
operations and its bottom line.” In 1991, Croasdale reported
to an engineering conference that “[c]ertainly any major
development with a life span of say 30-40 years will need to
assess the impacts of potential global warming,” and that
“[t]his is particularly true of Arctic and offshore projects in
Canada, where warming will clearly affect sea ice, icebergs,
permafrost, and sea levels.”71
“[c]ertainly any major development
with a life span of say 30-40 years
will need to assess the impacts of
potential global warming,” and that
“[t]his is particularly true of Arctic
and offshore projects in Canada,
where warming will clearly affect
sea ice, icebergs, permafrost, and
sea levels.”
Similarly, in 1989, Shell Oil announced that it was redesigning a $3 billion natural gas platform it had
been designing for use in the North Sea.72 The original design had the platform sitting 30 meters above
the ocean’s surface, but the redesign would raise the platform by one to two meters to account for rising
sea levels as a result of global warming.73
By the early 1990s, we know that not only was the entire petroleum industry on notice of climate change,
but internal documents from the largest oil company had confirmed and reaffirmed the reality of the
problem. Moreover, at least two of the largest oil companies were actively incorporating expected
changes into their engineering projects.
68
Id.
See Memorandum from M. B. Glaser, Manager, Environmental Affairs Programs, Exxon (Nov. 12, 1982) (on file
with InsideClimate News), available at
https://insideclimatenews.org/sites/default/files/documents/1982%20Exxon%20Primer%20on%20CO2%20Greenho
use%20Effect.pdf.
70
See Sara Jerving, Katie Jennings, Masako Melissa Hirsch, & Susanne Rust, How Exxon Went From leader to
Skeptic on Climate Change Research, L.A. TIMES (Oct. 9, 2015), http://graphics.latimes.com/exxon-arctic/.
71
Id.
72
See Amy Lieberman & Suzanne Rust, Big Oil Braced for Global Warming While it Fought Regulations, L.A.
TIMES (Dec. 31, 2015), http://graphics.latimes.com/oil-operations/.
73
Id.
69
12