Climate Accountability Scorecard

The report provides a scoring framework and detailed evaluations for eight fossil fuel companies—Arch Coal, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, CONSOL Energy, ExxonMobil, Peabody Energy, and Royal Dutch Shell—regarding their public statements on climate science, trade association affiliations, governance policies, and responses to shareholder resolutions. It identifies a systemic failure among these companies to implement policies preventing the spread of climate disinformation, with most receiving 'Poor' or 'Egregious' scores. The document also catalogues historical and recent disinformation activities by trade associations such as the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

• The Union of Concerned Scientists uses a multi-tiered scoring system to evaluate companies on four criteria: the accuracy of direct climate statements, indirect affiliations with disinformation-spreading trade groups, the existence of governance policies to prevent disinformation, and support for climate-related shareholder resolutions.
• Between 2016 and 2018, the majority of assessed fossil fuel companies maintained 'Poor' or 'Egregious' scores for renouncing disinformation, with Chevron and ExxonMobil both rated as 'Egregious'.
• None of the eight evaluated companies—Arch Coal, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, CONSOL Energy, ExxonMobil, Peabody Energy, and Royal Dutch Shell—had a recorded policy or commitment to avoid direct or indirect involvement in spreading climate science disinformation.
• The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has worked to block climate action since the 1990s, including sponsoring 65 bills between 2013 and 2015 to repeal state standards for renewable energy use.
• The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) organized opposition to California's AB 32 plan and low-carbon fuel standard, including the use of 16 fake grassroots groups.
• Royal Dutch Shell received an 'Advanced' score for its direct climate statements by acknowledging the need for global net-zero CO2 emissions to keep temperature rise below 2°C, though it still received a 'Poor' overall score due to trade affiliations and shareholder resolution opposition.
• Chevron and ExxonMobil are noted for attempting to block climate-related shareholder resolutions in 2017 and 2018, including proposals regarding low-carbon economy transitions and methane emissions.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). Climate Accountability Scorecard. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/climate-accountability-scorecard-2018-appendix-renouncing-disinformation.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Climate Accountability Scorecard. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/climate-accountability-scorecard-2018-appendix-renouncing-disinformation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Climate Accountability Scorecard |date=October 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/climate-accountability-scorecard-2018-appendix-renouncing-disinformation.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018climate, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Climate Accountability Scorecard}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/climate-accountability-scorecard-2018-appendix-renouncing-disinformation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }