It has recently come up to Inner Light , thanks to one of Exxon ’s own climate expert , Lenny Bernstein , that this company knew about the connector between fossil fuels and climate change over 30 years ago . That ’s seven yr before the dangers of clime change became a public issue . This shocking revelation come from an email sent by L. Bernstein toAlyssa BernsteinfromOhio University(no copulation to Lenny Bernstein ) , and was reported inthe Guardian .
L. Bernstein has been in the oil manufacture for 30 years , which include prison term as Exxon ’s in - house mood expert . He claimed that the potential effects that the company could have on mood alteration were first impart to their attending in1981 , when the company was debating whether to start raise Southeast Asia ’s turgid gas field . The situation , lie with as Natuna , included natural natural gas but also a large quantity of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) , which is a significant contributor of climate change . “ Exxon first got interested in mood change in 1981 because it was seeking to develop the Natuna accelerator field off Indonesia , ” L. Bernsteinwrotein his e-mail to A. Bernstein .
“ When I first learned about the undertaking in 1989 , the protrusion were that if Natuna were developed and its CO2vented to the standard atmosphere , it would be the largest stage seed of CO2 in the universe and account for about 1 % of project global CO2emissions . ”
L. Bernstein suggests that Exxon did not fight forward and mine the Natuna site , in orderliness to limit the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atm . ExxonMobile , however , hassaidthat there could have been a “ immense range of reason ” why they did n’t quest for the site .
This means that Exxon could have known that humankind was having an impact on mood change a full 8 years before climate alteration was brought to the public oculus . The first public announcement referencing mood change was in1988 , when a climate scientist call James Hansen announced to Congress that clime modification was being triggered by a form up of greenhouse gases in the ambience .
“ What it shows is that Exxon do it years in the beginning than James Hansen ’s testimonial to Congress that climate alteration was a reality ; that it accept the world , rather of denying the reality as they have done publicly , and to such an extent that it took it into news report in their decision making , in making their economic calculation,”Alyssa Bernstein , the recipient of L. Bernstein ’s email , toldthe Guardian .
Federal Department of Justice lawyerSharon Eubanks , who pass a successful cause against tobacco companies , noted the similarities between Exxon denying mood variety and tobacco companies deny that smoke make lung Cancer the Crab . In both situations , the demurrer was fight back top dog - on with grounds to the reverse . Exxon ’s tenacious history of publicly denying the links between climate modification and human influence increases the company ’s liability for harm to the climate .
“ It go to look like a much long conspiracy . It ’s like what we discovered with baccy – the more you push back the date of cognition of the harm , the more you delay any remediation , the more people are affected . So your indebtedness can grow exponentially as the timeline induce longer , ” shesaid .
Exxon ’s self-renunciation of the connecter between fossil fuel and climate change did n’t quit at just brushing off a couple of claim . The fellowship has spent meg onresearchthat actively promotes climate change defence .
“ Instead of taking responsibility , they have either flat – or indirectly through trade and diligence groups – sow in dubiousness about the science of clime change and fight attempt to disregard emissions,”wroteL. Bernstein .
