Tracing Fossil Fuel Companies’ Contribution to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reports that 88 major carbon producers contributed more than half of the increase in ocean acidification and about half of the global temperature rise from 1880 to 2015. The document highlights that these companies, including investor-owned firms like ExxonMobil and Chevron, were aware of the climate risks of their products as early as 1965 but engaged in campaigns to sow doubt. It argues that these entities should be held financially responsible for climate-related damages, such as the $2 billion in additional costs attributed to sea level rise during Hurricane Sandy in New York City.

• Between 1880 and 2015, emissions from 88 of the largest fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers contributed more than 55 percent of the increase in ocean acidification, approximately 52 percent of the global temperature rise, and about 34 percent of global sea level rise.
• From 1965 to 2015, a period when fossil fuel companies were aware of the risks, the same 48 investor-owned companies contributed approximately 15 percent of the increase in ocean acidification, 15 percent of the global average temperature increase, and 9 percent of sea level rise relative to the 1880–2015 period.
• The top five investor-owned oil and gas companies—Chevron, Exxon-Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and ConocoPhillips—contributed approximately 8 percent of the increase in ocean acidification, over 7 percent of the global average temperature increase, and about 6 percent of sea level rise between 1965 and 2015 relative to the 1880–2015 period.
• Fossil fuel companies and industry associations, such as the American Petroleum Institute, knew about the catastrophic consequences of CO2 pollution by 1965 but spent millions of dollars to sow doubt and confusion about climate science to prevent emissions regulation.
• Climate change and ocean acidification have caused specific economic and human losses, including $2 billion in additional damages to New York City from Hurricane Sandy due to sea level rise, and nearly 600 heat-related deaths in Paris and London in 2003.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2019). Tracing Fossil Fuel Companies’ Contribution to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/UCS_acidification_FS_191210a_low-res.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Tracing Fossil Fuel Companies’ Contribution to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification. 2019. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/UCS_acidification_FS_191210a_low-res.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Tracing Fossil Fuel Companies’ Contribution to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification |date=December 2019 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/UCS_acidification_FS_191210a_low-res.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2019tracing, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Tracing Fossil Fuel Companies’ Contribution to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/UCS_acidification_FS_191210a_low-res.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }