Oil company data accurately predicts global warming: should they be accountable for its effects?

A January 2023 article in Science magazine showed that ExxonMobil scientists in the 1970s and early 1980s were accurately modeling the effects of fossil fuel emissions on global warming that closely aligned with observed changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and change in global temperature. Despite these internal warnings, official statements and advertisements minimized the risks and focused on scientific uncertainty. Similar strategies were used by the tobacco industry and the opioid painkiller industry. In response to the heavy social, healthcare, and economic toll of the use of tobacco cigarettes and opioids, those industries have entered into agreements resulting in billions of dollars of payouts to address the societal costs of those products. Recent catastrophic weather patterns illustrate the growing risk associated with climate change. Based on their own data accurately predicting global warming, should oil producers be accountable for the effects of continued gasoline emissions?

Ethical Dilemma in Science:
Does a company have an obligation to inform the public of the risk of harmful effects from their products?
– Does it depend upon the probability of the risk of a harmful effect?
– What level of certainty of a possible risk is necessary before informing the public?

Should a company be responsible for the harmful effects of their products?
– Does it matter if the company did not know of the possible risks or harmful effects of their product?

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