The unusual suspects

The chief executive officer (CEO) and board of directors of ExxonMobil, known as Esso in the U.K., made a determined effort between 1998 and 2004 to mislead and deceive the world by conveying a false impression about the truth of climate change. ExxonMobil employed a strategy of disinformation, similar to the campaign used by tobacco firms since the mid-1950s, to create uncertainty over the scientific consensus on global warming.