Big oil knew about greenhouse gases and their impact on climate change more than half a century ago – but instead of sharing the information, they lied and undermined its veracity. As far back as 1959, renowned physicist Edward Teller warned Robert Dunlap and other oil executives, about the global impact that greenhouse gases would have on temperatures, melting ice caps, rising oceans and largescale environmental destruction. Even while Exxon’s own scientists were warning of the catastrophic effect that climate change would cause around the world, their executives were spending millions of dollars “trying to convince people the emergency wasn’t real”. Geoff Dembicki is an investigative climate change journalist based in Brooklyn. He is a frequent contributor to The Guardian and VICE and his work has been featured in NPR, the Washington Post and the Nation. His new book _The Petroleum Papers: Inside the Far-Right Conspiracy to Cover Up Climate Change_, was named one of the 2022's top 10 books by the Washington Post and was a finalist for the 2022 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Alyssa Johl, Vice President, Legal for the Center for Climate Integrity will discuss the various litigation battles which are currently underway. Several State Attorney Generals and countries, including the Philippines, have taken law cases against oil companies for the damage inflicted by global warming. What is the level of liability for the oil industry for the destruction to the planet and its animal and human populations? They will be joined by Dr. Delta Merner, lead scientist for the Science Hub for Climate Litigation at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She provides timely, scientific evidence to support legal cases that hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate-related damages. Photo credit : Pexels.com - Tom Fisk ### Resources [Link to Geoff Dembicki's book](https://greystonebooks.com/products/the-petroleum-papers) [Exxonmobil projection while publicly disparaging climate science ](https://blog.ucsusa.org/shaina-sadai/exxonmobil-accurately-projected-rising-temperatures-while-publicly-disparaging-climate-science/) [3-part series that Frontline did on Big Oil. Part I - The Denial ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAAbcNl4Lb8&list=PLr2L6TB8fh8FaZx0IFKi_FdNlaBRKc-Bz&t=50s) [Another article on the cover-up](https://theconversation.com/big-oils-trade-group-allies-outspent-clean-energy-groups-by-a-whopping-27x-with-billions-in-ads-and-lobbying-to-keep-fossil-fuels-flowing-198286) [The “Science" paper which caused the latest furor ](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0063) [What Edward Teller told oil executives in 1959 - on the 100th anniversary of the oil industry ](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/jan/01/on-its-hundredth-birthday-in-1959-edward-teller-warned-the-oil-industry-about-global-warming) [Article about Climate Racketeering](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/20/big-oil-is-behind-conspiracy-to-deceive-public-first-climate-racketeering-lawsuit-says)
