|
 |
Hi everyone! Today is my 37th(!?) birthday. I’m spending the week relaxing and recharging in the Shenandoah Valley with my dog and my partner and some friends. But I just had to send a note about this under-the-radar news that is not-to-be missed if you care about climate accountability. I’ve also included a link to a panel discussion I recently moderated about Big Oil’s campaign to escape legal accountability.
If you appreciate this work, or feel like giving me a birthday present, a paid subscription would mean a lot. Paid subscriptions fund HEATED’s journalism. They also make it possible for me to take weeks like this—to rest, spend time with the people I love, and build a life that allows me to keep doing this work for the long haul.
Hope you all have a lovely rest of your week. I’m grateful to get to spend another year doing this with you.
Exxon scientist says the company knew its algae biofuel ads were BS
In newly reported deposition testimony, a company scientist calls Exxon’s claims “patently false”—and says he warned them before they went public.
|
| |||||||||||||||
 |
If you read, watched, or listened to any news in 2018 and 2019, you almost certainly came across Exxon’s ads for algae biofuel.
They were everywhere: in TV commercials, in print ads and digital banners, and in a New York Times paid post about “The Future of Energy.” They all promoted the idea that Exxon was helping to solve climate change by turning green algae into a renewable, sustainable fuel source that could one day replace petroleum.
Between 2017 and 2019, the company spent $60 million airing just three algae commercials, including during the World Series and NBA championships. So we can only imagine how much they spent on all the algae ads cumulatively across platforms.
 |
These ads have already faced a ton of scrutiny and accusations of greenwashing. And by 2023, Exxon had pulled its funding for algae research entirely, acknowledging that they could not hit the targets they had promised.
But now, newly reported testimony shows that Exxon always knew its algae biofuel ads were complete bullshit—at least, well before they aired most of these ads.
The testimony comes from documents disclosed in Massachusetts’ ongoing climate deception lawsuit against Exxon, which Inside Climate News reporter Nicholas Kusnetz examined for a story published last week.
During a deposition, attorneys for Massachusetts asked an Exxon scientist who worked on the algae biofuels program about the company’s claim that it could produce 10,000 barrels of algae biofuel a day by 2025. The attorneys asked: Was that claim misleading?
”Yes,” the scientist said, pointing to a 2018 press release that advertised the claim. “All the clauses in there are patently false. And I told them so, of course.”
Attorneys also asked the Exxon scientist if he had any concerns about the company publicly advertising that it could produce 10,000 barrels of algae biofuel a day.
The scienti