The Harvard study, Exxon added, is "clearly part of a litigation strategy against ExxonMobil and other energy companies." Exxon has "gone from denialism to delayism," said Supran, who is also director of climate accountability communication at the Climate Social Science Network, which researches political conflict over climate change. Exxon, the world's most valuable public company as recently as 2013, has lost nearly $200 billion in market value from its peak. 'Gaslighting the public'The Harvard study described "propaganda tactics of the fossil fuels industry" aimed at downplaying the climate crisis. Prior to the merger, "risk" of climate change was only mentioned once in Exxon's public communications, the study said.

Source: CNN May 13, 2021 18:46 UTC