UN secretary-general says 'Big Oil' peddles 'big lie,' should be 'held to account' like tobacco

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres compared the oil industry to the tobacco industry, accusing them of lying to cover up harmful effects of their products.

Guterres made the comments at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, accusing the fossil fuels industry of intentionally ignoring the negative environmental effects of their product.

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"We learned last week that certain fossil fuel producers were fully aware in the 1970s that their core product was baking our planet," Guterres said at the assembly. "And just like the tobacco industry, they rode roughshod over their own science."

Guterres gave the speech at the WEF's Davos summit to an audience of business leaders and politicians. Oil company executives were present for the remarks.

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"Some in Big Oil peddled the big lie. And like the tobacco industry, those responsible must be held to account," he added.

"Today, fossil fuel producers and their enablers are still racing to expand production, knowing full well that this business model is inconsistent with human survival," Guterres said. "Now, this insanity belongs in science-fiction, yet we know the ecosystem meltdown is cold, hard scientific fact."

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Guterres referenced in his address recently uncovered Exxon documents showing that the company's internal research team was aware of fossil fuels' effects on the climate. 

The documents suggest that Exxon knew its products could harm the environment as early as the 1970s and sought to cover up this fact in public discourse. The company has denied the allegations in a statement to the BBC.

"This issue has come up several times in recent years and, in each case, our answer is the same: those who talk about how ‘Exxon Knew’ are wrong in their conclusions," Exxon said.