BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE ROBERT BRULLE, CENTER FOR CLIMATE INTEGRITY, JUSTIN FARRELL, BENJAMIN FRANTA, STEPHAN LEWANDOWSKY, NAOMI ORESKES, GEOFFREY SUPRAN, and the UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES AND AFFIRMANCE

The document provides evidence that major fossil-fuel companies had internal knowledge of anthropogenic climate change as early as the 1950s and 1960s, yet spent decades funding disinformation to manufacture public doubt. It details how these companies protected their own infrastructure from sea-level rise while publicly denying the science, and argues that current 'greenwashing' and 'carbon footprint' narratives continue this pattern of deception.

• Fossil-fuel industry members and trade associations, including the American Petroleum Institute (API), were aware of research linking fossil-fuel combustion to increased atmospheric CO2 and potential global warming as early as the 1950s and 1960s.
• Internal research conducted by Exxon in the late 1970s and early 1980s confirmed the scientific consensus that continued CO2 emissions would lead to significant global warming with potentially catastrophic effects by the mid-21st century.
• Defendants implemented sophisticated public relations strategies to manufacture doubt about climate science, often contradicting their own internal findings and peer-reviewed research.
• The fossil-fuel industry funded third-party organizations, front groups, and specific researchers to promote contrarian theories and discredit established climate science.
• While publicly denying or downplaying climate change, Defendants integrated climate risk data into the design of their own infrastructure to protect assets from sea-level rise and storms.
• Modern corporate strategies have shifted from outright denial to 'greenwashing' and the use of 'carbon footprint' narratives to shift responsibility for emissions from producers to individual consumers.

APA

Brulle, R., Farrell, J., Franta, B., Lewandowsky, S., Oreskes, N., & Supran, G. (2021). BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE ROBERT BRULLE, CENTER FOR CLIMATE INTEGRITY, JUSTIN FARRELL, BENJAMIN FRANTA, STEPHAN LEWANDOWSKY, NAOMI ORESKES, GEOFFREY SUPRAN, and the UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES AND AFFIRMANCE. Center for Climate Integrity. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/9th_Circuit_Deception_Amicus_City_and_County_of_Honolulu_County_of_Maui_092421.pdf

Chicago

Brulle, Robert, Justin Farrell, Benjamin Franta, Stephan Lewandowsky, Naomi Oreskes, and Geoffrey Supran. BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE ROBERT BRULLE, CENTER FOR CLIMATE INTEGRITY, JUSTIN FARRELL, BENJAMIN FRANTA, STEPHAN LEWANDOWSKY, NAOMI ORESKES, GEOFFREY SUPRAN, and the UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES AND AFFIRMANCE. Center for Climate Integrity, 2021. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/9th_Circuit_Deception_Amicus_City_and_County_of_Honolulu_County_of_Maui_092421.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Brulle |first1=Robert |last2=Farrell |first2=Justin |last3=Franta |first3=Benjamin |last4=Lewandowsky |first4=Stephan |last5=Oreskes |first5=Naomi |last6=Supran |first6=Geoffrey |title=BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE ROBERT BRULLE, CENTER FOR CLIMATE INTEGRITY, JUSTIN FARRELL, BENJAMIN FRANTA, STEPHAN LEWANDOWSKY, NAOMI ORESKES, GEOFFREY SUPRAN, and the UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES AND AFFIRMANCE |publisher=Center for Climate Integrity |date=24 September 2021 |url=https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/9th_Circuit_Deception_Amicus_City_and_County_of_Honolulu_County_of_Maui_092421.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brulle2021brief, author = {Brulle, Robert and Farrell, Justin and Franta, Benjamin and Lewandowsky, Stephan and Oreskes, Naomi and Supran, Geoffrey}, title = {{BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE ROBERT BRULLE, CENTER FOR CLIMATE INTEGRITY, JUSTIN FARRELL, BENJAMIN FRANTA, STEPHAN LEWANDOWSKY, NAOMI ORESKES, GEOFFREY SUPRAN, and the UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES AND AFFIRMANCE}}, institution = {Center for Climate Integrity}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/9th_Circuit_Deception_Amicus_City_and_County_of_Honolulu_County_of_Maui_092421.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }