The Forgotten Oil Ads That Told Us Climate Change Was Nothing
Provided by: The Guardian|Published on: June 1, 2023
Grades: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts
Authors: Geoffrey Supran, Naomi Oreskes
Region: North America, United States, Global
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article details the strategies used in oil and gas industry advertisements since the 1960s.
- Students will learn when oil executives knew about global warming, what persuasive strategies they used to convince the public not to worry, and how these strategies changed with public perception.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This article is eye-opening and will be interesting for students to read.
- The included visuals tell the story well and add a great component to the article.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have a good understanding of climate change and the motivations of profit-based businesses.
- You may want to tell students that the video is about a oil and gas company's renewable initiative before they watch it.
Differentiation
- This resource would work equally well in science classes learning about the history of climate change, language arts classes focusing on persuasive rhetoric, or in economics classes.
- Cross-curricular connections could also be made in art classes by studying the ads or in social studies classes debating the actions of these corporations.
- Middle school students would likely benefit from reading this resource as a group and discussing. Use the images and subtitles to drive the conversation.
- High school and college students should be able to read the article independently and be ready to have a robust conversation.
- Consider having students choose an ad to write about. They can write a rebuttal to the ad or an open letter the to the oil company.
This resource is an article from the Guardian that discusses the fossil fuel industry's long running disinformation, propaganda, and lobbying campaign to deny climate change and delay climate change policy. Advertisements spanning decades from fossil fuel companies are provided so that students are able to see the long running misinformation campaign. The advertisements are then refuted by the actual science and the knowledge that these industry leaders had at the time. The example advertisements run from plain misinformation to fear mongering. The examples run through 2018, explaining that the issues of misinformation are still persistent. This article would be a great addition to a classroom discussing the misinformation that occurs surrounding climate change and a perfect way to have students question where their information is coming from.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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