Fundamentally, Geoff Dembicki's The Petroleum Papers is an exploration of the oil and gas industry in North America (with an emphasis on Canada). Initially, the book shows that the oil and gas industry knew as far back as 1959 that their business has, and will continue to, irreparably harm the Earth. The warning in 1959 came from a man named Edward Teller, who is widely regarded as the father of the Hydrogen bomb. Teller warned that if cleaner technologies were not found, the Earth would warm as a result of the burning of fossil fuels, something which has been proven to be true over time.
Energy never got behind Teller's warnings, but in the 1970s, Exxon commissioned a study concerning climate change. In that study, Dembicki says, Exxon measured the levels of carbon dioxide in the oceans. From that, Exxon deduced that the world was in trouble. If the world and fossil fuel companies didn't act quickly, then the world would be in trouble. Exxon's scientists warned company leadership that humans would be poisoned if the use of fossil fuels wasn't curbed significantly.
But it wasn't just Exxon that was aware of the dangers posed by the use and exploitation of fossil fuels. Dembicki shows that companies like British Petroleum (BP) and Shell were aware of the risks of using fossil fuels. Research from BP and Shell showed that the use of fossil fuels could contribute to global warming, an increase in carbon dioxide levels, and a rise in sea levels.
Oil companies didn't just research the consequences of the use and exploitation of oil. They researched solutions. As far back as 1991, a subsidiary of Exxon determined that a carbon tax would significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels and thus reduce emissions. But companies weren't willing to implement solutions like a carbon tax so that they could continue their business unfettered.
Oil companies were so desperate to continue the business that they worked with politicians and other organizations to shape public sentiment surrounding climate change. Oil companies spent a tremendous amount of money to discredit the scientists who warned everyone about the dangers of climate change as a result of the use of fossil fuels. And though the science about climate change and its link to the use of fossil fuels is clear, politicians and other organizations for their benefit decided to ignore its danger.
