- Afghanistan hire T20 expert Dwayne Bravo as bowling consultant
- UK blood scandal victims to receive payouts this year: govt
- Stock markets waver as traders look for fresh impetus
- Man Utd's Rashford left out of England's Euro 2024 squad
- Ireland back Zebo to retire from rugby at end of season
- OpenAI apologizes to Johansson, denies voice based on her
- Progress in US inflation fight 'has likely resumed': Fed official
- Man Utd's Rashford left out of England's Euros squad
- Serial winner Kroos eyes two-trophy finish to career
- Ronaldo poised for Euro record as Portugal name squad
- Diplomatic crisis deepens as Spain pulls out Argentina envoy
- 'Thank God!': First New Caledonia evacuation flight arrives in Australia
- OpenAI apologizes to actress Johansson over AI voice similarity
- Schools, prison checked after quake 'swarm' near Naples
- Hazardous weather sparks chaos and rider anger at Giro 16th stage
- Murray comeback ends in Geneva defeat
- IMF cautions on timing of UK rate cut
- Germany's Kroos to retire from football after Euro 2024
- Stock markets retreat as traders take profits
- Hazardous weather causes Giro 16th stage to be shortened
- ICC arrest warrant requests: what next?
- Thailand celebrates return of looted statues from New York's Met
- Trump vows to sue over explosive biopic
- France's Macron to visit riot-scarred New Caledonia
- First New Caledonia evacuation flight arrives in Australia
- 16 top AI firms make new safety commitments at Seoul summit
- Sanofi allies with OpenAI, Formation Bio for AI use in drug development
- German FM warns in Kyiv of 'dramatic' worsening on Ukraine front
- Strike over Olympics bonuses disrupts Paris trains
- NGOs seek climate trial of French oil giant TotalEnergies
- Postecoglou tells Spurs players to enjoy post-season Australia trip
- Gaza battles flare as Israel slams arrest warrant bid for 'war crimes'
- German coup plot: Who are the alleged ringleaders?
- First tourists evacuated from riot-scarred New Caledonia
- Thailand celebrates return of looted statue from New York's Met
- German prince on trial in far-right coup plot
- Syria first lady diagnosed with leukaemia: presidency
- India inspects spice companies after contamination claims
- Fear but no injuries after quake 'swarm' near Naples
- France begins its first war crimes trial of Syrian officials
- Blues look into early playing return for Beauden Barrett
- Iranians pay last respects to president killed in helicopter crash
- Japan's new whaling mothership sets sail on first hunt
- Markets retreat as traders take profits, eye commodities' spike
- Demise of rangelands 'severely underestimated': report
- India shuts schools as temperatures soar
- Muted on world stage, Taiwan speaks up at Cannes
- Crunch time looms for BHP's bid to buy Anglo American
- 'Heart of the left': ruling party fights to keep Mexico City
- First tourist rescue flight lands in riot-scarred New Caledonia
US lawmakers accuses oil giants of climate 'doublespeak'
The oil industry's public relations strategy has evolved from climate science denial to "disinformation and doublespeak" to counter meaningful environmental policies, US congressional Democrats said in a report Tuesday.
The report accuses oil giants such as ExxonMobil and Chevron -- along with industry trade groups -- of a long-running campaign aimed at defending the industry's interests at the expense of the planet.
"Big Oil has run campaigns to confuse and mislead the public while working unceasingly to lock down a fossil fuel future," said Maryland Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin, who co-authored the report with Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.
"Big Oil continues to conceal the facts about their business model and obscure the actual dangers of fossil fuels, including natural gas, in order to block the climate action we need," Raskin said.
The report -- and documented evidence released in parallel by the lawmakers -- presents decades-old analysis by oil industry scientists warning of climate change that were cast aside or deemphasized in favor of industry communications that emphasized the uncertainty around climate science.
As the industry has shifted course in response to rising scientific consensus around climate change, oil companies' approach has evolved from "denying climate science to spreading disinformation and perpetuating doublespeak about the safety of natural gas and the industry's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions," the report said.
Examples of "confusing and misleading narratives" propagated by the industry include the public backing of carbon capture technology while privately calling it prohibitively expensive without extensive government support.
The American Petroleum Institute, which was targeted by the report along with individual oil companies, defended the industry's balance of environmental and economic priorities.
"At a time of persistent inflation and geopolitical instability, our nation needs more American energy –- including more oil and natural gas –- and less unfounded election year rhetoric," an API spokesperson said.
"America's energy workers are focused on delivering the reliable, affordable oil and natural gas Americans demand while scaling the next generation of low-carbon technologies like hydrogen and carbon capture, and any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate."
J.Fankhauser--BTB