Exxon Is Still Helping Fund The Spread Of Climate Denial

by Natasha Geiling
Jul 11, 2016

ExxonMobil — the world’s largest publicly traded oil and gas company — has had an interesting year. In September, two investigations by InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times revealed that the company’s own scientists had recognized the dangers posed by climate change as far back as 1977, and yet did nothing about it. Those revelations sparked a cascade of calls from politicians demanding an investigation into whether or not Exxon knowingly mislead shareholders, and the public, about climate change. Currently, 17 attorneys general have subpoenaed Exxon for internal documents.

The increased public scrutiny, however, does not seem to be stopping Exxon from giving money to groups that actively fund climate misinformation and oppose climate legislation.

According to Exxon’s most recent disclosures on donations — first reported on over at DeSmogBlog — the company donated more than half a million dollars to groups that have either campaigned against climate legislation or have spread misinformation about climate change. According to DeSmogBlog, the most recent disclosures mean that Exxon has spent more than $33 million in donations to anti-climate groups since 1998.

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