Exxon Mobil Billings Refinery sits in Billings, Mont. Exxon Mobil’s scientists were remarkably accurate in their predictions about global warming, even as the company made public statements that contradicted its own scientists' conclusions, a new study says. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called out ExxonMobil for withholding highly accurate predictions about the impact of climate change.
“Some in Big Oil peddled the big lie," he said. "The science has been clear for decades. I’m not talking only about UN scientists, I’m talking even about fossil fuel scientists."
Guterres referred to a recent study from Science showing that Exxon predicted fossil fuel use would have “dramatic environmental effects before the year 2050" as far back as the 1970s. The study also found that Exxon's own predictive models have proven remarkably accurate.
"Our results show that in private and academic circles since the late 1970s and early 1980s, ExxonMobil predicted global warming correctly and skillfully," read the study. "Using established statistical techniques, we find that 63 to 83 percent of the climate projections reported by ExxonMobil scientists were accurate in predicting subsequent global warming."
The data builds on a story that was first revealed by investigative journalists for Inside Climate News back in 2015, which showed that Exxon executives intentionally withheld from the public in-house studies showing that continued carbon emissions would cause global warming.
The report quickly spurred a backlash against the company, with #Exxonknew circulating widely on social media platforms. Exxon has so far disputed the findings.
"#ExxonKnew is an orchestrated campaign that seeks to delegitimize ExxonMobil by misrepresenting our position on climate change and related research to the public," the company previously wrote on its website.
The UN chief, for his part, isn't buying the company's argument.
"Just like the tobacco industry, they rode roughshod over their own science," Guterres said.
The critiques of Big Oil came amid an altogether gloomy speech. Guterres said the world is in a "sorry state" and that global challenges are “piling up like cars in a chain reaction crash.”
Wealthfront’s CFO Alan Iberman talks the $2.05B IPO and the major moment for robo banking as the company bets on AI, automation, and “self-driving money."
A rare magnum of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 champagne that was specially produced for the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana has failed to sell during an auction. Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen handled the bidding Thursday. The auction's house website lists the bottle as not sold. It was expected to fetch up to around $93,000. It is one of 12 bottles made to celebrate the royal wedding. Little was revealed about the seller. The auction house says the bids did not receive the desired minimum price.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
