Stop blaming fossil fuel companies – Climate Change is our own fault

Summary

The video discusses the fossil fuel industry's knowledge and actions regarding climate change since the 1960s. It argues that while companies like Exxon accurately predicted global warming, they also funded misinformation campaigns to protect their interests. Despite the industry's culpability, the video suggests that society's demand for oil would have persisted regardless. The real issue, it claims, was the failure to act on uncertain science and not updating plans with new evidence. The video also highlights the shift in oil production due to shale oil and fracking, and ends with a plug for Ground News, a news aggregation app.

Takeaways

• ⚠️ The fossil fuel industry has been aware of the effects of carbon dioxide on global warming since the 1960s.
• 📊 Despite this knowledge, they continued to sell oil, knowing it would be purchased regardless of its environmental impact.
• 💰 The industry engaged in misinformation campaigns to downplay climate science and its negative consequences.
• 📅 By 2010, noticeable temperature changes were predicted as carbon dioxide levels approached 400 ppm, which occurred around 2013.
• 🌡️ Early climate models from the 1970s and 1990s were uncertain and crude, leading to skepticism even among scientists.
• 🛢️ The fossil fuel industry couldn't have predicted the shale oil and fracking boom, which made the USA the largest oil producer by 2008.
• 🤔 Blaming the fossil fuel industry alone for inaction on climate change misattributes the mistake; the real issue was not acting despite uncertainty and not updating plans with new evidence.
• 🌞 The importance of renewable energy like solar panels is emphasized as a step forward.
• 📰 Ground News is recommended as a tool to stay informed about global news, providing balanced coverage from various political perspectives.
• 📱 Ground News also highlights news stories that are predominantly covered by one side of the political spectrum, promoting more comprehensive awareness.

Q & A

What is the main accusation against the fossil fuel industry mentioned in the script?

The main accusation is that the fossil fuel industry lied about climate change and its effects since the 1960s, and they deliberately exaggerated the uncertainty about climate science to mislead the public.

Why does the script suggest that the fossil fuel industry would still sell oil even if they knew it caused global warming?

The script suggests that even if the fossil fuel industry had openly acknowledged that their products caused global warming, they would still have sold oil because refusing to do so would have led to their bankruptcy, and someone else would have taken their place.

What role did Exxon play in the climate change debate according to the script?

Exxon developed their own climate models and found results similar to those of independent scientists, but they also funded campaigns to exaggerate uncertainties about climate science and promote the idea that global warming might be beneficial.

How did other fossil fuel companies, such as Chevron and BP, contribute to the climate change debate?

Chevron and BP, among other companies, financed lobbying groups that worked against laws that could harm their business, often communicating in a very one-sided manner to protect their interests.

What did the 1979 Exxon memo predict about carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature changes?

The 1979 Exxon memo predicted noticeable temperature changes around 2010 as carbon dioxide concentrations reached 400 parts per million, which was eerily accurate since we reached that concentration in 2013 and temperature changes became noticeable around that time.

What does the script imply about the state of climate science in the 1970s?

The script implies that climate science in the 1970s was still developing, with significant uncertainties and skepticism about the models' predictions, even among scientists.

How does the script address the accuracy of early climate models?

The script acknowledges that early climate models had significant uncertainties and were mistrusted, but it also points out that over time, data has shown that these models' predictions were accurate.

What shift in oil production occurred in the United States around 2008?

Around 2008, oil production in the United States made a remarkable turn due to shale oil and fracking, making the USA the biggest oil producer in the world.

What mistake does the script argue society made regarding climate change action?

The script argues that the mistake was not acting despite the uncertainty and failing to update plans swiftly when new evidence became available, resulting in too little action, too late.

How does the script propose we can learn from our past mistakes regarding climate change?

The script suggests that to learn from our mistakes, we need to correctly identify them, specifically recognizing the failure to act despite uncertainty and the delay in updating our plans as new evidence emerged.