Fossil-fuel climate research

The claim, in its accurate form: from the late 1970s internal research at major oil companies described greenhouse warming in terms close to what has since happened, and the same companies backed campaigns and advertorials emphasising doubt.

Internal Exxon documents from 1977-1982 surfaced through investigative reporting by InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times in 2015, followed by academic analysis of the full document set.

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Confirmed on the narrow point. A 2023 Science paper by Supran, Rahmstorf and Oreskes found Exxon's internal projections from 1977-2003 were consistent with subsequent observed warming, and documented the divergence between internal assessments and public messaging. The Global Climate Coalition's own 1995 internal advisory said the science was well established while its public output stressed uncertainty. What this does not establish is a single coordinated global directorate — the record shows industry associations, PR firms and funded think tanks acting on shared interest, which is both less cinematic and better evidenced.