{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "generatedAt": "2026-05-07T12:20:11.525Z",
  "findingType": "lie",
  "findingId": 9,
  "contentHash": "fab4e872fde162f47138c4e9e6807bb7f14e09500c335048e72541bfc1dc4084",
  "title": "ExxonMobil: 'The science is uncertain' — while internal scientists confirmed warming",
  "summary": "ExxonMobil promised: \"Currently, the scientific evidence is inconclusive as to whether human activities are having a significant effect on the global climate.\" (Sat Jan 01 2000 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)). 2 documented violation(s). Severity: catastrophic.",
  "methodology": "Documented promises are sourced from public statements, filings, and transcripts. Each promise must have a non-empty source URL. Violations are independently sourced with evidence strength tiers. The time delta (days after promise) quantifies the gap between commitment and breach. Materiality assessment includes financial cost, people affected, and environmental impact where applicable.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16092015/exxons-own-research-confirmed-fossil-fuels-role-in-global-warming/",
      "label": "Inside Climate News investigation, 16 September 2015",
      "type": "primary"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0063",
      "label": "Science, Supran et al., 13 January 2023",
      "type": "primary"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.reuters.com/legal/exxon-mobil-loses-bid-toss-massachusetts-climate-change-lawsuit-2022-05-24/",
      "label": "Reuters, 24 May 2022",
      "type": "primary"
    }
  ],
  "queries": [
    {
      "description": "Promise record with entity",
      "table": "documented_promises",
      "parameters": {
        "id": 9
      }
    },
    {
      "description": "Promise violations",
      "table": "promise_violations",
      "parameters": {
        "promiseId": 9
      }
    }
  ],
  "dataSnapshot": {
    "promiseId": "9",
    "slug": "exxon-climate-uncertain-1990s",
    "entityId": "31235",
    "entityName": "ExxonMobil",
    "headline": "ExxonMobil: 'The science is uncertain' — while internal scientists confirmed warming",
    "promiseText": "Currently, the scientific evidence is inconclusive as to whether human activities are having a significant effect on the global climate.",
    "promiseDate": "2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
    "promiseSourceUrl": "https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16092015/exxons-own-research-confirmed-fossil-fuels-role-in-global-warming/",
    "audience": "general_public",
    "domain": "climate",
    "severity": "catastrophic",
    "status": "violated",
    "narrative": "For decades ExxonMobil publicly cast doubt on climate science. Internal documents and an independent peer-reviewed analysis later showed the company's own scientists had accurately projected human-caused warming as early as the 1970s, while its public communications cast that same science as uncertain.",
    "financialCostUsd": null,
    "peopleAffectedEstimate": null,
    "violations": [
      {
        "id": "18",
        "violationText": "Exxon's internal scientific projections from 1977 to 2003 are shown in Science to have been highly accurate predictions of warming — contradicting decades of public-facing doubt.",
        "violationDate": "2023-01-13T00:00:00.000Z",
        "violationSourceUrl": "https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0063",
        "evidenceStrength": "primary",
        "daysAfterPromise": "8413"
      },
      {
        "id": "19",
        "violationText": "Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court allows the state's consumer-protection lawsuit against ExxonMobil for misleading the public about climate to proceed.",
        "violationDate": "2022-05-24T00:00:00.000Z",
        "violationSourceUrl": "https://www.reuters.com/legal/exxon-mobil-loses-bid-toss-massachusetts-climate-change-lawsuit-2022-05-24/",
        "evidenceStrength": "primary",
        "daysAfterPromise": "8179"
      }
    ],
    "createdAt": "2026-05-03T09:29:14.751Z"
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "id": "31235",
      "name": "ExxonMobil",
      "slug": "exxonmobil",
      "type": "company"
    }
  ],
  "verificationSteps": [
    "Retrieve documented promise #9 from documented_promises.",
    "Visit promise source: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16092015/exxons-own-research-confirmed-fossil-fuels-role-in-global-warming/ — confirm the original commitment was made.",
    "Violation #1 (Fri Jan 13 2023 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)): visit https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0063 — confirm \"Exxon's internal scientific projections from 1977 to 2003 are shown in Science to have been highly accurate predictions of warming — contradicting decades of public-facing doubt.\"",
    "Violation #2 (Tue May 24 2022 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)): visit https://www.reuters.com/legal/exxon-mobil-loses-bid-toss-massachusetts-climate-change-lawsuit-2022-05-24/ — confirm \"Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court allows the state's consumer-protection lawsuit against ExxonMobil for misleading the public about climate to proceed.\"",
    "Verify the SHA-256 content hash by re-generating the JSON bundle."
  ]
}