Summary This briefing was sent to Paula Dobriansky, who in 2001 was the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs. She was also the head of delegation and the lead negotiator on US climate change policy[NN1]. The document was authored by then Acting Assistant Secretary for The Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific […]
These 1999 documents relating to Shell’s report “Sustainable Development – making it happen” are a part of a larger collection discovered by Jelmer Mommers of De Correspondent in a trove of internal Royal Dutch/Shell Group (“Shell”) documents. Below is a cover letter, report, pamphlet, and sounding board feedback on the report, in that order. I. […]
Video of this speech can be viewed on C-SPAN. Summary In 1996 Exxon Corporation’s Chairman Lee Raymond addressed the members and guests of American Petroleum Institute’s (“API”) Annual Meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington D.C. The speech championed the economic benefits of fossil fuels, industry-wide coalition building, and technological advancements. Raymond’s theme throughout […]
Summary This is a 1995 analysis by Shell International B.V. scientist Peter Langcake of whether climate change was in fact underway and if, as some scientists were suggesting, a “signal” had been detected showing human influence on climate from temperature, weather, polar ice melt and other data. This document is a part of a larger […]
Summary In February 1995, a management briefing titled “Climate Change” was internally circulated by the Shell International Petroleum Company Limited (“Shell”). This document, unearthed by Jelmer Mommers from journalism platform De Correspondent in a trove of internal Shell documents, appears to build off of research from “The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect” report (1994). Information from both […]
Summary In this segment of the Western Fuel Association’s (WFA) 1994 annual report, the association discussed their opposition to the “madness surrounding policy prescriptions emanating from the global warming debate.” Highlighting WFA’s priorities at the time, this report defined the association’s business in two parts: With the exception of the National Coal Association, WFA lamented […]
Summary This 1989 document is a presentation given by Mobil’s former President of Research and Development, J. V. D’Ambrisi on July 19, 1989. D’Ambrisi presented to the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Public Policy Committee regarding API’s HEGC Strategic Planning Process. HEGC is “responsible for the expenditure of API’s funds relating to health and environmental issues affecting […]
Summary This pair of documents is a transcript of a 1980 meeting held by the National Commission on Air Quality (NCAQ), as first reported by Nathaniel Rich’s New York Times Magazine article “Losing Earth.” The meeting, requested by Congress, was held to discuss the societal implications of climate change in order to address problems “from increased […]
Summary A reaction to the oil supply squeeze in late 1976 and early 1977, this pro-oil report by Dr. Leslie G. Cook warned “the reader … to protect his own best interests in the face of impending energy limitations and constraints.” The report outlined future detriments to oil’s marketability, dismissed alternatives like solar, and assured […]