Big oil is the new big tobacco - and Congress must use its power to investigate | Naomi Oreskes and Geoffrey Supran

Americans had the right to know the harms of smoking. They have the right to know the harms of the energy industry, tooGreta Thunbergsummed up 2019 in five words: “Our house is on fire.” In Australia, this is now literally the case.Wildfires there have been raging for more than a month and now span an area larger than Switzerland. The situation bears all thehallmarks of a hot new world: lives lost, livelihoods ruined and species pushed towards extinction, accompanied by government inaction, industry PR spin, abetting rightwing echo chambers, and taxpayersfooting the multibillion-dollar bill.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 20, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Naomi Oreskes and Geoffrey Supran Tags: Oil Energy US politics Environment Oil and gas companies Oil spills Energy industry Fossil fuels Climate change Science US Congress US news Commodities Business Source Type: news