State prosecutors have alleged Exxon and other oil companies knew for nearly 50 years that production and burning of their fossil fuels created greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet and cause climate change. Yet the companies nevertheless engaged in a coordinated effort to conceal and downplay those risks by denying their own knowledge of the threats, attempting to discredit scientific evidence and creating doubt in the minds of the public. While masking the consequences, the industry increased its production of fossil fuels, causing, in turn, a significant increase in global greenhouse gas emissions.
—David Hasemeyer