Oil industry hid climate warnings for decades to shield profits

Seventy years of newly uncovered documents reveal that California’s Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) and major oil companies knew as early as the 1950s that fossil fuel emissions could threaten global stability yet systematically worked to suppress climate warnings and oppose regulations.

Rebecca John reports for DeSmog.

In short:

• In 1954, a Caltech scientist warned the Air Pollution Foundation (APF), funded by major oil companies, that carbon dioxide emissions could alter Earth’s climate, but the APF, under industry pressure, labeled CO2 as “harmless.”
• The APF, intended as an independent foundation, was designed by WSPA to shape research favorable to industry, reducing scrutiny of refinery emissions in Los Angeles and stalling pollution regulations.
• Similar tactics were later deployed nationally by the API and others, leading to today’s lawsuits against major oil companies for concealing climate risks.

Why this matters:

Evidence of early climate denial underscores the oil industry’s long history of blocking climate action, with tactics that delay regulations on carbon emissions and air quality. Today, communities near refineries face severe health issues, and climate-linked disasters continue to worsen.

Read more: Fossil fuel industry spreads misinformation to hinder global shift to renewable energy