News & Analysis
July 9, 2026
Millions of Americans spent the 4th of July weekend under a record-breaking heat dome that caused highways to buckle and contributed to at least two dozen heat-related deaths. Scientists have said the deadly heat wave was “virtually impossible” without climate change, which Big Oil companies have been knowingly fueling for decades.
Oil majors were warned decades ago that the continued burning of fossil fuels would cause increases in global temperature, with one internal memo from Exxon in 1982 noting that “[t]here is unanimous agreement in the scientific community that a temperature increase of this magnitude would bring about significant changes in the earth’s climate.” To the public, however, Big Oil companies downplayed climate science and their products’ role in the climate crisis. In 2006 — more than 20 years after internally acknowledging the dangers of fossil fuels — ExxonMobil published a paper on the “complexity” of the climate system, writing that “the extent to which recent temperatures changes can be attributed to greenhouse gas increases remains uncertain.”
“These deadly heatwaves aren’t natural disasters,” CCI President Richard Wiles said about the latest extreme heat event. “Big Oil knew decades ago that their products would warm the atmosphere and fuel more extreme weather that communities are suffering from today. But instead of warning the public about the lethal impacts of their products, Big Oil lied and deliberately accelerated the problem.”
The latest heatwave comes as Big Oil companies face a growing number of lawsuits from state, local, and tribal governments over their decades of climate deception and its resulting damages. Multnomah County — the most populous county in Oregon — is suing several oil companies, including Exxon, Shell, BP, and Chevron, as well as gas supplier Northwest Natural, the American Petroleum Institute, and consulting firm McKinsey over their role in deceiving the public about climate change and fueling the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome, which killed 69 county residents. Separately, the family of a Washington woman who died in the 2021 heat dome is also suing several oil majors in a first-of-its-kind wrongful death lawsuit.
Washington, D.C. hit 102 degrees July 2, breaking a 128-year-old record. New York City was still 94 degrees at midnight on July 3, setting a record for its highest overnight temperature. Atlantic City reached 106 degrees on July 4.
“Everyday Americans are paying the price for oil companies’ deception through rising costs and unnecessary deaths of friends and family,” Wiles said. “It’s time for accountability.”
