Unearthed Internal Shell Reports from Decades Ago Warn of “Major Adverse Changes” and “Far-reaching Environmental, Social and Economic Consequences” from Climate Change that “Could Challenge the Very Fabric of the World’s Ecological and Economic Systems”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — New internal documents show that Shell executives and employees privately acknowledged the severe risks of the company’s fossil fuel products in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, adding to a wealth of evidence that the oil giant has knowingly fueled the climate crisis for decades. 

Among the new revelations: (emphases added)

  • A 1985 report, “Why and How to Control Energy Pollution,” warned of “major adverse changes” from climate pollution, including “some melting of the ice-cap and a significant change in the climatic pattern throughout the world.” 

  • Authors of a 1987 internal Shell publication wrote: “It is feared that a further rise in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere could lead to a higher average surface temperature on Earth, which could have far-reaching environmental, social and economic consequences.” 

  • In 1989, a Shell executive wrote that “Global warming could challenge the very fabric of the world’s ecological and economic systems.” 

The documents, first reported by DeSmog and Follow the Money, were unearthed by Dutch researcher Vatan Hüzeir and follow the 2023 release of additional internal documents about Shell’s knowledge of climate change decades ago. Those investigations build on the 2018 release of key internal Shell documents uncovered by Dutch journalist Jelmner Mommers. 

Their publication comes as Shell and other Big Oil companies face a growing number of lawsuits across the U.S. and the world seeking to hold them accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ central role in the climate crisis. Members of Congress cited the previous Shell revelations last year in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate oil giants for climate deception. 

“These internal admissions are valuable sources for litigators around the world seeking to hold Shell accountable for its climate deception under a variety of legal theories,” Corey Riday-White, managing attorney at the Center for Climate Integrity, told DeSmog. “While Shell privately acknowledged the dangers of using its products as intended, the corporation publicly sowed doubt about the science and fought efforts to regulate its pollution.”

CCI and climate disinformation scholars have cited DeSmog and Follow the Money’s previous reporting on Shell in briefs supporting lawsuits against the company. 

Background on Climate Accountability Lawsuits Against Big Oil: 

Since 2017, the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia, as well as municipal governments in California, Colorado, Hawai'i, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, and Puerto Rico, and two tribal governments have filed lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ role in climate change.