Fossil Fuel Companies Have Been Lying to You!
Videos
Grades9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, History
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 →
Provided by Jack Harries
What it is
- This video details the history of fossil fuel companies and their decades-long knowledge of the detrimental impacts of their products.
- Students will learn about the early climate research done by fossil fuel companies, the unquestionable connections between fossil fuels and our warming planet, fossil fuel companies' decisions about their research, disinformation campaigns, and the birth of the carbon footprint.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This video is well-produced, includes interesting visuals, and will be engaging for students.
- The video makes a solid argument that fossil fuel companies should be held accountable for the damage they have done to the environment.
Additional Prerequisites
- Ads may play before and during this video.
Differentiation
- This video would work equally well in science or social studies classes. Students could discuss how fossil fuel companies convinced the public that the scientific fact that burning fossil fuels causes climate change was inaccurate or unimportant.
- Cross-curricular connections could be made in language arts classes working on debate or persuasive writing, as this video would make a great resource for students arguing that fossil fuel companies should be held accountable for their inaction.
- After watching, have students brainstorm ways that individuals, communities, or governments can make changes that could impact these companies and their actions around climate change.
- Other related resources include this fossil fuel finance report, this public opinion map that details how people feel about making fossil fuel companies pay for climate damages, and this video about why fossil fuel companies are not changing.
From the scientist review
The video emphasizes how indifferent major polluters have been to the fact of climate change. Their goal is to deceive the public into not believing that our climate system is changing, despite their denial of the evidence. The significance of making a coordinated effort to identify the primary causes of climate change and disseminate this truth backed with scientific evidence is also emphasized by this resource.
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