Documents Expose Exxon’s Climate Denial Campaign in Latin America

Newly leaked documents reveal that ExxonMobil orchestrated a deliberate campaign to spread climate change denial throughout Latin America, aiming to undermine international climate agreements. The cache of hundreds of previously unpublished papers includes actual copies of checks the oil giant sent to fund this coordinated effort.

The documents expose years of correspondence between Exxon and the Atlas Network, a powerful US-based organization that coordinates more than 500 free-market think tanks worldwide. Internal communications show the campaign was specifically designed to make Global South nations “less inclined” to support UN-led climate treaty negotiations – a strategy that could have significantly impacted global climate action.

This revelation adds to mounting evidence of fossil fuel companies’ systematic efforts to delay climate action through misinformation campaigns. While Exxon’s climate denial activities in the United States have been well-documented, these documents provide the first concrete proof of the company extending similar tactics to Latin America, a region particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts.

The timing of these revelations is significant, as international climate negotiations continue to grapple with achieving consensus among developed and developing nations. The documents suggest that some of the resistance from certain regions may have been artificially amplified by corporate-funded disinformation campaigns rather than genuine policy disagreements. This discovery raises important questions about the integrity of global climate discussions and the hidden influence of fossil fuel interests on international environmental policy.