Tag Archives: uncertainty

1993 Imperial Oil Issue Summary of Global Warming and Climate Change

This 1993 document from Imperial Oil, Exxon’s Canadian subsidiary, is an “Issue Summary” of global warming and climate change policies.  The summary notes that while the “Federal government made an early commitment to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions…measures to achieve remain incomplete.”  Of particular interest in this summary are its references to a potential carbon tax, […]

1989 Presentation to Exxon Board of Directors on Greenhouse Gas Effects

This presentation entitled “Potential Enhanced Greenhouse Gas Effects: Status and Outlook” was made by Duane Levine, Exxon’s manager of science and strategy development, to Exxon’s Board of Directors on February 22, 1989. The presentation evidences Exxon’s shift from a leader in climate change research to an advocate against the dissemination of climate change information in the early […]

1988 Exxon Memo on the Greenhouse Effect

This document, revealed through a Los Angeles Times investigation, features statements by Joseph M. Carlson, an Exxon spokesperson. In the document, Carlson states that the “greenhouse effect” may be one of the most significant environmental issues of the 1990’s and that the main greenhouse gases are by-products of fossil fuels. Carlson admits that the increase of […]

1981 Internal Exxon “CO2 Position Statement”

On May 15, 1981, Henry Shaw, a manager with Exxon Research & Engineering’s Technology Feasibility center, sent a “Preliminary Statement of Exxon’s Position on the Growth of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide” to Edward. E David Jr., president of the Exxon Research and Engineering Company. The inter-office correspondence outlined Exxon’s “current position on the CO2 Greenhouse effect” […]

1967 API Public Opinion Survey on Air and Water Pollution

A 1967 survey conducted on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute to gauge the public’s understanding of water and air pollution and their respective attitudes toward industry accountability. The API interprets the survey to reflect that the “public at large” is unaware of what industry is doing to reduce pollution and that, as a result, […]