It seems climate change is old news to U.S. oil refiner and massive corporate polluter Marathon Petroleum. As the Guardian reported, a 1977 feature in a publication of the forerunner of the oil company predicted the disastrous effects that could come from continued dirty energy production.
What's happening?
Marathon World, the aforementioned corporate magazine, envisioned an unnerving American future — one in which, the Guardian detailed, mounting temperatures could lead to "widespread starvation and other social and economic calamities" and the need for swift action to mitigate pollution, employing modern technologies to do so.
The periodical was published by what was then the Marathon Oil Company, which later divided into Marathon Petroleum and the now-separate exploration and production company Marathon Oil, according to the Guardian.
Though there was no consensus on the cause, the analysis cited "industrial expansion" as one potential source of atmospheric warming.
"Pestilence, starvation, drought. To know one's product may bring that about, and bury the evidence, is unspeakable," Brown University professor Timmons Roberts told the Guardian.
Why is this finding important?
Imagine you're cooking your famous lasagna to serve at the weekly neighborhood potluck. Then, weeks later, you receive credible data suggesting that your lasagna could push your entire community toward catastrophe: increasing each person's risk of developing a life-threatening illness; contributing to declines in mental health and fertility; and causing water contamination, and natural disasters.
Your reaction? To keep dishing out that lasagna — for 47 years and counting.
That seemed to be Marathon's method. "We have seen a longstanding strategy from these companies of climate denial, disinformation, and delay," research analyst Bryant Sewell told the Guardian.
Marathon Oil, NPR reported, is "the seventh-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas industry," largely because of its operations involving methane — a potent and polluting greenhouse gas. Marathon Oil paid the U.S. government $241.5 million in a lawsuit over its "alleged air quality violations" in North Dakota.
Just last year, one Marathon Petroleum facility in Louisiana caught fire, endangering local residents. The city of Honolulu is pursuing legal action against Marathon and other oil and gas heavyweights for "conceal[ing] and deny[ing] their own knowledge" regarding the harms caused by their operations, per the Guardian. Meanwhile, Marathon Petroleum has frequently moved to prevent policies that protect our health and safeguard agricultural resources.
What can we do about it?
Don't take corporate sustainability campaigns at face value. Instead, dig into unbiased data to ensure you're not dealing with greenwashing — aka seeking positive publicity while doing next to nothing to actually reduce harmful pollution (or literally paying to pollute more).
Let's not wait another 47 years to explore renewable energies and other alternatives that save money, support health, and power our world without sides of disaster. By investing in innovative companies, we can show the industry the demand for cleaner energy options.
Climate education is crucial, but real change only comes when we meet that awareness with action.
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