d. 1988 Shell “Confidential” report “The Greenhouse Effect”4
A recently revealed document from 1988, summarizing the findings of
an internal study at Shell that commenced in 1981 and was finished in 1986.
The document states call for action even in the face of uncertainty. “With
very long time scales involved, it would be tempting for society to wait until
then to begin doing anything. The potential implications for the world are,
however, so large, that policy options need to be considered much earlier.
And the energy industry needs to consider how it should play its part.” And
then states that while modeling could not exactly predict the impacts, “by the
time the global warming becomes detectable it could be too late to take
effective countermeasures to reduce the effects or even to stabilize the
situation.” (emphasis added)
e. 1994 Mobil Foundation Lamont-Doherty grant5
This newly discovered document shows a keen interest across the oil
industry in climate modeling program at Columbia University’s LamontDoherty laboratory. This document is a rare find and indicates very
deliberate grant making process at Mobil Foundation, who had written
grants of $25,000 for three years running from 1991-1993 and was
recommending 1994 funding at the same level. The document also shows
that Exxon, Shell, Texaco and “Others” were also giving grants of at least
$25,000.
In the text of the document it states that petroleum companies are
funding work to improve the modeling of “energy transfer between the
atmosphere and oceans. This is critical to improving global climate models
and to improving the prediction of global warming.”
The document states that American Petroleum Institute and IPIECA
are “acting as focal points of petroleum industry effort.” Under the header
“Benefits to Mobil Foundation”, it is stated that “Global warming is likely to
be the key international environmental issue of the 1990s.” And that “while
there are no regulations limiting emissions of greenhouse gases, such
regulations are a real possibility within the next five years. Technical
information and understanding will be key to Mobil’s ability to participate n
the debate on these regulations.”
The “Benefits” section concludes that Lamont-Doherty holds private
seminars on its research for sponsors where “Mobil scientists involved”
could “gain first hand understanding” and “develop personal relationships”
with key experts and that this program was important “particularly in light of
recent findings’ and “far more valuable to Mobil than merely reading papers
which will eventually be published.”
2. CORPORATE EFFORTS TO STALL THE CLIMATE POLICY
PROCESS
4R.P.W.M.
Jacobs, M.H. Griffith, P.E. Bright, J.B. Homer, J.A.C.M. van Oudenhoven, and J. Waller, Shell
International Petroleum Maatschappij, “The Greenhouse Effect,” May 1988 (available at
http://www.climatefiles.com/shell/1988-shell-report-greenhouse/).
5Research, Engineering and Environmental Affairs, Mobil Foundation, “1994 Mobil Foundation Grant
Recommendations,” Jul. 1993 (available at https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4438454Mobil-1994-Grant-Review.html).
Climate Investigations Center - September 2018
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