Oil Industry Knew of Climate Change in 1968

The oil industry knew about the climate change since 1968, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) reported on April 13.

According to CIEL, in 1968, scientists with the Stanford Research Institute reported to the American Petroleum Institute (API) about their research on atmospheric pollutants of interest to the oil industry.

The report says that "significant temperature changes are almost certain to occur by the year 2000 and these could bring about climatic change. If the Earth’s temperature increases significantly, a number of events might be expected to occur including the melting of the Antarctic ice cap, a rise in sea levels, warming of the oceans and an increase in photosynthesis. It is clear that we are unsure as to what our long-lived pollutants are doing to our environment; however, there seems to be no doubt that the potential damage to our environment could be severe,” the report stresses

Carroll Muffett, President of CIEL said that the 1968 report adds "to the growing body of evidence that the oil industry worked to actively undermine public confidence in climate science and in the need for climate action even as its own knowledge of climate risks was growing.”

The CIEL chief added, that "oil companies had an early opportunity to acknowledge climate science and climate risks, and to enable consumers to make informed choices,” but "they chose a different path,” and the "the public deserves to know why.”

API, the most prestigious oil association in the US didn’t comment on the CIEL report. The latest press release by the Association announced that the API discussed with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s (BSEE) about "the long-term importance of expanding offshore oil and natural gas development and ensuring continued offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic in the final 2017-2022 five year program.”

Many activists and experts have already expressed their worries about any kind of oil-drill activities in the Arctic, a region extremely vital for Earth’s sustainability.