How is this possible that our leaders do not know?
We can thank Exxon for the “dis-information” that they have provided to our government leaders and the American public.
More than 30 years ago, Exxon scientists acknowledged, in internal company memos, that “climate changed could be catastrophic – at least for a substantial fraction of the Earth’s population.”
What did they do with this information? Did they choose to act as corporate leaders? Did they educate politicians? The public? And, other corporations? Perhaps they strategized about how to gradually convert to renewable energy sources that would benefit life on our planet, while insuring long term profits for their stakeholders?
No! They chose a path of deception and denial!
They did none of these things and they intentionally created confusion. Exxon helped to create the Global Climate Coalition; which served to question the scientific basis for concern about climate change. They did this to prevent the United States from signing onto the international Kyoto Protocol to control greenhouse gas emissions.