The Irony Is Too Real: Shell—the Oil Company—Made a Film About Climate Change in 1991

Europe’s largest oil company knew fossil fuels would put the world at danger for over a quarter of a century, but Shell didn’t heed their own warning.

Shell Oil Company released an educational film in 1991 called Climate of Concern which warned the company’s own product might lead to, well, global warming and climate change.

The video explains how fossil fuels could contribute to extreme weather, floods, famines, and climate refugees. It even noted that the reality of climate change was “endorsed by a uniquely broad consensus of scientists.”

Yes, this is the same company that has spent millions of dollars lobbying against measures that would protect the planet from climate disaster.

The narrator also speaks of a “new sense of urgency” driven by the “realisation that our energy-consuming way of life may be causing climatic changes, with adverse consequences for us all”.

Too bad these consequences are now all too apparent, and are predicted to get worse in the coming decades…

A reporter from The Correspondent unearthed the old footage, who then passed it on to The Guardian. The story has sparked the hashtag #ShellKnew on social media.

#Shell acknowledged #climatechange in 1991 way ahead of its time - but still lobbied against regulations #shellknewhttps://t.co/KmSFIeKi5i

— Meghan DeTommaso (@MeghanMDeto) 28 February 2017

#shellknew ?? don't believe it! Next you'll be telling me that Marlboro knew smoking causes cancer

— Robbie Cobbie (@robocop84) 28 February 2017

Uh, wonder what Shell has to say for itself?

Photo: Shell (via The Correspondent)