Shell and Co. Dance to the Tune of Deception: Big Oil’s Big Tobacco Moment

Posted by John Donovan: 28 April 2024

Welcome to the latest episode of “Guess Who’s Ruining the Planet Today?” Surprise, surprise, it’s none other than the bigwigs of Big Oil, who’ve been keeping up their ‘charming’ tradition of wrecking the environment while lining their pockets with gold.

Enter California’s knight in shining armour, Attorney General Rob Bonta, who’s decided to take on the corporate leviathans like BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron, along with their trusty sidekick, the American Petroleum Institute (API). Why? Oh, just for orchestrating a little thing called the climate crisis.

Bonta’s not pulling punches either; he’s slapping them with a 135-page lawsuit, armed with what he calls “smoking gun” evidence. And guess what? He’s not alone in this fight. Dozens of states are lining up to join the fray.

Now, you might wonder why these particular oil giants are in the hot seat. Well, according to Bonta, they’re “the worst liars.” And hey, when you’ve got a factual basis for your claims, why not go for the jugular, right?

But hold your horses, because the oil industry’s got its own playbook. They’re singing the same old tune, claiming these lawsuits are nothing but a distraction. Yeah, tell that to the melting ice caps.

The plot thickens when you dive into the lawsuit. Turns out, these oil moguls have known about climate change since… wait for it… the 1950s! That’s right, while the rest of us were busy bopping to Elvis, they were scheming to cover their tracks.

Shell, for instance, was warning about the greenhouse effect back in ’88, but then did a complete 180, playing up the doubt card. 

And let’s not forget their little pals in deception, the “front groups” funded to spread doubt faster than a wildfire. Taking a page straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook, these guys were masters of manipulation.

But fear not, because Bonta’s got a trick or two up his sleeve. He’s aiming to show how these oil giants directly contributed to climate catastrophes, connecting the dots between their products and the planet’s downward spiral.

Of course, Shell’s response is as predictable as ever, claiming they’re innocent bystanders in this whole mess. Yeah, right. 

But hey, let’s not forget Exxon’s little tidbit of wisdom: blaming consumers for, you know, buying their stuff. 

So, while society foots the bill for their mess, Bonta’s not backing down. He’s out to make sure these oil titans pay up for their sins. And if he has his way, they’ll be coughing up more than just gas emissions.