CIEL's Latest Report Makes the Case for #EveryoneKnew - Energy In Depth
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A new CIEL report meant to prove oil companies hid climate knowledge may actually undercut that very claim, raising questions about who really knew what and when.
Information AsymmetryPrincipal-Agent ProblemBurden of ProofCorporate Liability Theory
Theory Briefing
- The Center for International Environmental Law's report was intended to support the "EveryoneKnew" narrative against oil companies, but the source argues it backfires.
- The core legal theory depends on oil companies having unique, hidden climate knowledge — a premise this report's own findings may not support.
- If climate science was broadly available rather than secretly held, the case for corporate concealment becomes significantly harder to sustain.
- The dispute sits at the heart of ongoing litigation framing oil majors as bad-faith actors who suppressed what only they knew.