What the oil industry doesn’t want you to know - Stephanie Honchell Smith

譯者: 麗玲 辛 審譯者: Zoe Walmsley

In summer 1997, a full-page ad appeared in The New York Times.

1997 年夏天，《紐約時報》上 出現了一則全版廣告。

The message, from the Global Climate Coalition,

「全球氣候聯盟」用這則廣告

issued a dire economic warning about the US embracing the Kyoto Protocol,

警告美國簽署《京都議定書》 會對經濟產生嚴重威脅，

a treaty to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

京都議定書旨在遏制溫室氣體排放。

But beneath the veneer of smiling children was something much more insidious:

但，掩蓋在微笑兒童的照片下 是更險惡的東西：

a multi-million dollar campaign propped up by questionable data

一個耗資數百萬美元的活動， 除了支撐其論點的數據可疑，

and backed by some of the world's most powerful companies.

背後撐腰的還是全球最有權勢的公司。

The Global Climate Coalition was itself a front for the oil industry—

「全球氣候聯盟」其實是 石油行業的掩護門面，

established to sow doubt and confusion about climate action.

用來對氣候行動散播懷疑和混淆視聽。

But the real story starts decades earlier.

然而，真正的故事要從幾十年前說起。

In the 1970s, oil companies employed some of the world's top atmospheric scientists,

1970 年代，石油公司 僱用了世界頂尖的大氣科學家，

as they needed to understand weather-related risks to their equipment

因為他們需要了解 氣候相關的風險對其設備的影響，

and to assess the environmental impact of new projects.

並對新的計畫做環境影響的評估。

By the late 1970s, these scientists, along with their counterparts in academia,

到 70 年代末，這些科學家 和學術界的同行做出結論，

had concluded that burning fossil fuels created a build up of atmospheric carbon,

燃燒化石燃料形成大氣層中的碳積聚，

which would impact the climate by trapping heat

將熱氣困在大氣層中影響氣候，

and increasing surface temperatures.

致使地表的溫度升高。

They warned that an increase of even a few degrees could be catastrophic

他們警告，即使只增加幾度 也可能造成災難，

and accurately predicted events such as rapid Arctic warming

並準確預測了北極迅速暖化

and the melting of Antarctic ice sheets.

和南極冰層融化等事件。

Throughout the 1980s, oil industry reps met repeatedly to discuss these dangers,

整個 80 年代，石油產業的代表 多次會面討論這些危險，

acknowledging the risk that their product posed to the future of humanity.

確定他們的產品 對人類的未來構成威脅。

However, instead of warning the public,

然而，他們並沒有警告大眾，

or using this knowledge to pivot towards renewable energy sources,

也沒有利用這個機會轉向可再生能源，

they doubled down on oil.

反而是加倍投資在石油上。

But in the late 1980s, scientists sounded the alarm about climate change,

但在 80 年代末，科學家們 對氣候變遷發出警告，

raising public awareness, and leading to calls for government action.

提高大眾的意識， 並呼籲政府採取行動。

In response, the oil industry launched what would become a decades-long,

這一來引發石油產業 展開一場持續數十年、

multi-billion-dollar PR campaign

價值數十億美元的公關活動，

to discredit the very science they helped pioneer.

試圖詆毀他們之前協助開創的科學。

They utilized the same PR firms that had previously helped the tobacco industry

他們雇用之前幫菸草業

誤導大眾對吸煙危害認知的 同一批公關公司。

mislead the public about the harms of smoking.

Oil companies directly lobbied government officials

石油業直接向政府官員遊說，

and covertly funded dozens of organizations

並暗中資助了數十個像 「全球氣候聯盟」這樣的組織，

like the Global Climate Coalition,

whose objective was to obscure the scientific consensus on climate change

他們的目的是 掩蓋氣候變遷的科學共識，

and humanity's role in creating it.

及模糊掉人類是始作俑者這一點。

They attacked credible scientists

他們攻訐有公信力的科學家，

並花錢刊登具攻擊性的「專欄特稿」，

and bankrolled advertisements disguised as op-eds,

which falsely exaggerated the degree and significance

不實地誇大氣候模型中的 不確定性及其意義，

of uncertainty in climate models

and used that uncertainty as an excuse to dismiss the science entirely.

用這個不確定性作為藉口 去推翻科學研究。

這些專欄特稿以聳動標題博取注意，

These "advertorials" grabbed reader's attention with titles like

"Lies They Tell Our Children," and "Unsettled Science."

像「他們對我們下一代所說的謊言」、

和「尚未證實的科學」之類的 。

The industry also capitalized on lingering Cold War anxieties

該產業還利用了冷戰殘留的焦慮，

that equated government regulation with socialism.

將政府管制與社會主義畫上等號。

Thus, at the very moment the world was poised to act,

因此，就在全世界蓄勢待發時，

oil companies shifted the conversation away from the actual science

石油業卻將對話焦點 從實際的科學

and turned it into a debate about protecting freedom.

轉成關於保護自由的辯論。

藉由這樣做，他們將這個 非關黨派、無可爭議的話題

By doing so, they took a non-partisan, uncontentious topic

and transformed it into a hot-button political issue.

變成一個引發熱議的政治議題。

After George W. Bush became president in 2001,

2001 年小布希成為總統後，

oil lobbyists successfully pushed his administration to replace officials

石油業的說客成功地說服他

汰換掉政府部門中 那些支持主流科學的官員，

who agreed with mainstream science

with ones who opposed environmental regulations.

改用那些反對環保法規的人。

When Bush pushed the US out of the Kyoto Protocol,

當布希讓美國退出《京都議定書》時，

his administration credited the Global Climate Coalition

他的政府團隊將此歸功於 「全球氣候聯盟」的影響力。

with influencing his decision.

But the oil industry's PR campaigns didn't end with their Kyoto victory.

但石油產業的公關活動 並未因這次的勝利而結束。

They've continued to shape the climate conversation,

他們繼續影響氣候方面的討論，

pushing propaganda and co-opting climate language.

進行政治宣傳，發明選用氣候語言。

British Petroleum, for example, popularized the phrase "carbon footprint,"

例如，英國石油公司 推廣了「碳足跡」一詞，

an idea which in practice effectively shifts climate responsibility

成功地將氣候責任

from the industry to the consumer.

從產業界轉移到消費者身上。

To this day, the industry massively overemphasizes their investment

直到今日，這個產業仍在極度誇大

他們在綠色能源， 如生物燃料上的投資，

in green energies, such as biofuels,

which represent just 1% of their budgets.

而這些其實僅佔其預算的 1%。

And they employ legions of lobbyists, who attend UN climate meetings

他們還僱用說客大軍 去參加聯合國氣候會議，

and work to water down the language of IPCC climate assessment reports.

竭力淡化 IPCC 氣候評估報告中的措辭。

In this, they're allied with oil-producing countries,

在這方面，他們與產油國家聯盟，

which also have a vested interest in continued fossil fuel use.

而那些國家正是 化石燃料的既得利益者。

While the oil companies now acknowledge that burning fossil fuels

儘管石油業現在承認 化石燃料對氣候變遷的影響，

contributes to climate change,

they deny having misled the public,

但他們否認誤導了大眾，

arguing that their messaging always reflected the scientific consensus.

辯稱他們始終拿著科學論據講話，

But an extensive paper trail shows otherwise.

但大量的文件記錄顯示並非如此。

While oil companies' profits reach all-time highs,

儘管石油公司的利潤達到歷史新高，

climate change costs the public billions of dollars each year.

氣候變遷卻讓大眾付出 每年數十億美元的代價。

Extreme weather events and decreasing air quality kill millions of people annually.

極端氣候事件和惡化空氣品質 每年奪走數百萬條生命。

Meanwhile, the culture of doubt the oil industry created remains widespread,

同時，石油行業創造的 懷疑氛圍依然普遍存在，

polarizing the issue, and delaying meaningful action.

導致對問題的看法兩極化， 延誤有意義的行動。

But it doesn't have to be this way.

其實可以不必這樣的。

我們仍然可以重拾對話，改變方向，

We can still reclaim the conversation and change course,

採納可再生能源和永續的做法，

embracing renewable energies and sustainable practices

to protect both our planet and our future.

保護我們的地球和人類的未來。