For decades, fossil fuel companies have carried out deliberate, coordinated campaigns to deceive the public and policy makers about the clear link between burning fossil fuels and the climate emergency. In fact, as early as the 1970s, fossil companies’ own research revealed that burning fossil fuels was directly responsible for the worsening greenhouse effect that is raising average temperatures around the globe. However, publicly, they have played up uncertainty, raised doubt, and undercut other legitimate scientists to confuse and outright lie about the causes and dangers of climate disruption. 

Exxon, for example, has spent millions of dollars supporting think tanks and pseudo-science that denied climate science, despite consensus amongst the vast majority of the world’s independent experts. At the same time, back in 1977, Exxon’s own engineers quietly modeled the company's climate impacts alongside projections of arctic melting and other climate impacts that have matched current trajectories almost exactly. 

These practices are referred to as disinformation because the fossil fuel industry knew what they were saying publicly was false, but said it anyway to protect their own profits. They then used this fake science to lobby governments around the world to oppose policies limiting the extraction and use of fossil fuels, while neglecting policies to support clean energy alternatives. In this way, fossil disinformation continues to set back efforts to combat the climate emergency today.

This card has an ongoing effect.

After this card is triggered in the Crisis stage, place all future Crisis cards face down during the Global stage. i.e. there is no Forecast Crisis until this card is discarded.

To discard this card, players must tuck 2 Society tags under it during the Local stage.

• How decades of disinformation about fossil fuels halted U.S. climate policy (NPR)

• America Misled - How the fossil fuel industry deliberately misled Americans about climate change (Center For Climate Change Communication, George Mason University)

• The forgotten oil ads that told us climate change was nothing (The Guardian)

• Learn more about the tactics fossil fuel companies use and the real science for getting off dirty energy from Oil Change International. 

• Write your elected officials asking them not to take money from fossil fuel lobbyists and share the facts of fossil fuels in driving climate change. 

• Join a local or national campaign for clean energy and elimination of fossil fuels. Find one near you with the Fossil Free database.