In 1988, NASA scientist James Hansen presented evidence to Congress stating that global warming was rapidly impending. 1988 was the hottest year on record, a striking 107 degrees Fahrenheit. Compared to the record that stands today, 134 degrees Fahrenheit, this is minuscule, and temperatures are only rising. We have already seen the devasting effects of global warming on communities and ecosystems worldwide, from rising sea levels to increased extreme weather events. Yet, we still have entire companies and organizations refusing to acknowledge the impact our actions have had on our planet.
1. ExxonMobil
No shock. A gas and oil company is a climate denier. Thanks to this company, over 21 million tons of CO2 emissions have been added annually, according to ClientEarth. And they aren’t stopping there. Exxon is hoping to boost their oil production from the current 4.7 million barrels of oil (BOE) per day to 5.4 million BOE per day by 2030.
Economic Benefits
By actively denying climate change, ExxonMobil’s goal is to avoid increased, stricter government regulations that could harm their production and cash flow. However, the company is already in a negative feedback loop. As this company releases more carbon dioxide into the environment, there is an increased need for renewable energy sources and prevalent awareness of the toll emissions take on the environment.
Nonetheless, ExxonMobil is combatting this by directly funding and campaigning for climate change denial. Organizations such as the Global Climate Coalition and the Heartland Institution run advertising campaigns funded by ExxonMobil that directly refute climate action. Although dismembered in 2002, the Global Climate Coalition was practically run by Exxon as the leading founder. They supported and funded a 13-million-dollar campaign aimed at preventing U.S. sanction of the Kyoto Protocol, which would allow the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to legally target countries to reduce their greenhouse gases emissions. The organization eventually dissolved due to increased knowledge of climate science; a reality ExxonMobil continues to ignore. The Heartland Institution is a conservative organization known for its materials questioning climate science such as the book, “Climate at a Glance”. They received millions from ExxonMobil to host conferences for climate skeptics and promote their climate change denial products.
Overall, ExxonMobil, between 1998 and 2014, spent at least $30 million funding climate denial groups and their influence is still prevalent today.
Political Gain
The company has donated more than 13 million dollars towards the 2024 election with 88% towards Republicans in order for them to support their company. The company spent over $4.49 million on federal lobbying in 2025 alone and 100 Republican House members backed ExxonMobil's petition to block climate liability lawsuits brought by cities and states. Executive CEO Darren Woods maintains that his company is not part of the political agenda and politicians do not influence where they invest. However, they remain a close ally of the Republican party, especially on topics related to oil and natural gas production. Current President Donald Trump received over $75 million from the fossil fuel industry, ExxonMobil contributing $13 million to that total.
Although ExxonMobil claims they have no political bias, Republicans, and the thousands of dollars each politician has collected from ExxonMobil, have directly supported their climate denial rampage.
Allegations
Although the company itself has a long history of climate change denial, their former leading scientists were against it. According to InsideClimate News, an investigation declared that Exxon had conducted climate research since 1977 then switched to climate denial even after their scientists had proved its existence. This investigation uncovered Exxon’s fluctuating views on climate change. In their investigation, InsideClimate News interviewed former employees and scientists working to discover the effect that mankind has on the increase in global temperatures. They analyzed internal documents and discovered that ExxonMobil’s findings were labeled “inconclusive”, a testament to their current climate denial. Back to 1788, when James Hansen presented his findings to Congress, Exxon publicly announced that the science was “still controversial”.
Other Organizations
Shell
Shell is yet another fossil fuel company committed to their oil and gas production despite recent climate science. Stationed in the Netherlands, the company accounts for 1.2 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually in 2024. Despite pledges to slowly fall back on oil production, Shell has no plan to reduce total oil and gas production by 2030, the date by which IPCC scenarios say emissions from oil, gas, and coal will need to have substantially reduced. Shell also avoids responsibility for the large emissions caused by their oil and gas companies and claims, “Shell only controls its own emissions”, and not “our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell”. This company has faced massive backlash for their inability to effectively reduce their environmental harm in a way that is both scientifically and financially possible. Instead, they make claims that they will be net-zero by 2050 although they have a permit to continue fossil fuel sales for the next 14 years.
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is a non-partisan think tank pursing limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty. The organization has received more than $1.6 million from ExxonMobil and other contributors of climate change denial movement. According to The Guardian, Kenneth Green, an AEI fellow, offered $10,000 to any scientist or economist willing to weaken the IPC report in order to strengthen their company.
Ben Stewart of Greenpeace said: "The AEI is more than just a thinktank, it functions as the Bush administration's intellectual Cosa Nostra. They are White House surrogates in the last throes of their campaign of climate change denial. They lost on the science; they lost on the moral case for action. All they've got left is a suitcase full of cash."
The Change is Real
Climate change deniers only occupy about 16% of the population, a number way too high. If economic or political gain had their way everytime, our world would cease to exist. Thankfully, we have the technology to discover how and why our Earth is changing at such a drastic and rapid rate in order to decrease that small population. However, this issue brings light to another absurd view behind climate change; not holding polluters accountable. Everyday fossil fuel companies get away with major oil spills, gas leaks, and pipeline ruptures. If we continue to let the massive oil, natural gas, and coal companies get away with their harmful environmental actions, what else will we allow?
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