‘Big Oil peddled the big lie’: UN chief slams energy giants for ignoring their own climate science

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday condemned the fossil fuel giants for ignoring their own climate science, accusing the oil and gas industry of seeking to increase production despite knowing “full well” that their business model is incompatible with human survival.

“Some in Big Oil have been peddling the big lie,” António Guterres said during a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “And like the tobacco industry, those responsible must be held accountable.”

His comments come shortly after research showed how Exxon Mobilone of the largest oil companies in the world, accurately predicted global warming as early as the 1970s, only to then spend decades publicly contradicting its own research.

The study, published last week in the journal Science, said Exxon’s private projections of global temperature rise were often more accurate than NASA’s world-renowned scientists. Exxon has since denied the charges.

Research papers have previously revealed that Exxon has been aware of the dangers of global warming since the late 1970s, while other oil industry bodies have known about the risks associated with burning fossil fuels for at least the years. 1950.

The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, is the main driver of the climate emergency.

“Every week brings a new climate horror story,” Guterres said, warning that the pledge to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was “going up in smoke”. This temperature threshold is the ambitious target set in the historic Paris Agreement of 2015.

It is recognized as crucial because beyond this level, so-called tipping points become more likely. These are thresholds at which small changes can lead to dramatic changes in the entire life support system on Earth.

Guterres said that without further action, humanity was on track for a global temperature rise of 2.8 degrees Celsius.

“The consequences will be devastating. Many parts of our planet will be uninhabitable. And for many, that’s a death sentence,” he said.

“But it’s no surprise,” said António Guterres. “The science has been clear for decades. I’m not just talking about UN scientists. I’m even talking about fossil fuel scientists.”

Referring to research published in Science last week, António Guterres said: “Like the tobacco industry, they have ignored their own science.

“Today, fossil fuel producers and their enablers are still racing to increase production, knowing full well that this business model is incompatible with human survival,” he continued.

“Now this madness belongs in science fiction, but we know that ecosystem collapse is cold, hard science fact.”

The world’s leading climate scientists warned last year that the fight to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius had reached “now or never” territory. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has reaffirmed its calls for a substantial reduction in the use of fossil fuels to curb global warming.