US oil company ran 1977 article predicting climate crisis could cause starvation

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Marathon Petroleum predecessor warned of potential for ‘social and economic calamities’ in decades-old publication

A Guardian collage of images from industry 1970s industry periodical Marathon World published by a corporate predecessor of Marathon PetroleumA Guardian collage of images from industry 1970s industry periodical Marathon World published by a corporate predecessor of Marathon PetroleumThe corporate predecessor to America’s largest refiner of oil, Marathon Petroleum, explained in a company periodical nearly 50 years ago that global temperature rise potentially linked to “industrial expansion”...

That lawsuit alleges that Marathon knew of the dangers of global temperature rise long before the general public due to its membership in the American Petroleum Institute, which began studying the link between fossil fuels and global heating decades ago. The magazine article suggests potential implications for the company from a more extreme climate. While it is unclear how widely the article was seen inside the company it names senior Marathon Oil figures, including its then vice-president for corporate planning and assistant to the president James H Brannigan, who says the oil industry uses weather forecasting techniques to predict consumer demand for fuel.

Given these enormous risks, the company periodical explains, “many climatologists feel it is imperative to apply present scientific technology so that predictions of Earth’s changeable environment might prevent widespread starvation and other social and economic calamities.” Marathon Petroleum was spun off from Marathon Oil as a standalone refining company in 2011. It didn’t respond to questions from the Guardian. Nor did Marathon Oil, which was recently acquired by ConocoPhillips.with a network of conservative policy groups under President Donald Trump to fight against federal fuel economy standards that would lessen the greenhouse gases released by cars and trucks.

 

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