3 books to know thy enemy (the fossil fuel industry)

About this video

• Video Title: 3 books to know thy enemy (the fossil fuel industry)
• Channel: Simon Clark
• Speakers: Simon Clark
• Duration: 00:01:58

Overview

This video recommends three books that provide insight into the tactics and history of the fossil fuel industry. The presenter aims to equip viewers with knowledge about the industry's strategies, which are compared to those previously used by the tobacco industry.

Key takeaways

• "Merchants of Doubt": This book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway details how the tobacco industry maintained a scientific debate about the dangers of smoking, a tactic later adopted by the fossil fuel industry. Strategies include falsely portraying science as unsettled, funding opposition research, creating front think tanks, and exploiting journalistic balance.
• "Industrial Strength Denial" by Barbara Freese: This book examines how corporations respond to evidence of harm to people or the planet. It outlines tactics such as denying evidence, attacking critics, and blaming victims, with examples spanning from the slave trade to the fossil fuel industry.
• "The Petroleum Papers" by Jeff D. Colgan: This book reveals that the oil industry was aware of the link between burning fossil fuels and climate change from early on and actively worked to cover it up for profit. It highlights that Exxon was conducting its own climate change experiments in the 1970s. The book also discusses the industry's shift to greenwashing and lobbying to prevent emission-limiting policies once discrediting science became less effective.