Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction

The document exposes a 1998 leaked memo from the American Petroleum Institute (API) detailing a strategic plan to promote scientific uncertainty regarding climate change. It contrasts API's claims of uncertainty with findings from the IPCC's 1990 and 1995 reports, which established human influence on global warming. The text further notes API's ongoing efforts to block U.S. federal regulations, including a 2011 lawsuit challenging the EPA's endangerment finding.

• A 1998 leaked memo from the American Petroleum Institute (API) revealed a planned 'Global Climate Science Communications Plan' designed to manipulate public and media perception by emphasizing uncertainties in climate science. The goal was to make the recognition of these uncertainties part of the 'conventional wisdom' and to make proponents of the Kyoto treaty appear 'out of touch with reality.'
• The API's claims of scientific uncertainty contradicted established evidence from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC's 1990 report stated that human activities were increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and warming the Earth's surface, while the 1995 report concluded there was a 'discernible human influence on global climate' and that the warming trend was unlikely to be entirely natural.
• The American Petroleum Institute, representing companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP, and Shell, continues to oppose U.S. federal regulations of greenhouse gases. This includes a 2011 lawsuit against the EPA's endangerment finding, arguing that the record did not support the EPA's level of certainty regarding anthropogenic emissions.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2015). Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/APIquote1998_2.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction. 2015. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/APIquote1998_2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction |date=March 2015 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/APIquote1998_2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2015climate, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Climate Science vs. Fossil Fuel Fiction}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/APIquote1998_2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }