In the 80s, Big Oil knew all about global warming

If we had paid more attention to the news, back in 2018, Benjamin Fanta, from the Guardian newspaper had a story telling us how, in the 1980s, Big Oil companies like Exxon and Shell studied how carbon dioxide released by fossil fuels might impact the planet in the future. 

For instance, Exxon predicted in 1982 that by about 2060, CO2 levels would reach around 560 parts per million, doubling the preindustrial level, and that it would push the planet’s average temperatures up by about 2°C over then-current levels (and even more so, compared to pre-industrial levels). 

Exxon also noted that doubling carbon dioxide levels would cause a global warming of 3°C. A few years later, in 1988, Shell projected similar effects, yet claimed that CO2 levels could double earlier, by 2030 and that sea-level might rise by one meter. 

Its report added that if global warming caused a total melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, sea level could rise by five to six meters and flood low-lying parts of the world. 

Both companies also predicted that entire ecosystems and habitat might disappear, desertification intensify and other potentially catastrophic events might be considered. The report from Shell was disclosed by a Dutch news organization earlier in 2018. Exxon’s study was not supposed to be made public either, but was leaked in 2015. 

At that time, these companies never took responsibility for the danger of their enterprises (even though they’d later deny it), but that it was the responsibility of governments and consumers; yet, Big Oil was able to successfully control governments with its money. 

Now you know which entities control Earth’s destruction and even though I dislike Musk a lot, go and buy yourself a Tesla...