great emitters think alike

Dear Community of Cornell and Ithaca,

It’s a critical moment for climate accountability. Following this month’s landmark hearings on the Congressional Report on Big Oil’s Denial, Disinformation, and Doublespeak, we call your attention to an unsettling fact: Cornell University’s climate messaging parallels Big Oil’s doublespeak point for point.

Cornell echoes major talking points from the Big Oil disinformation playbook, as analyzed in our latest Beyond PR report, “Big Oil + Big Red Climate Doublespeak.” Our report lays out five striking parallels between Big Oil and Big Red climate messaging. We quote Cornell’s own public communications and internal documents to show how Cornell repeats fossil fuel industry giants who deny climate accountability by “spreading disinformation and perpetuating doublespeak about the safety of natural gas and its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” 

Our report outlines, point by point, how the Cornell administration’s climate messaging replicates Big Oil’s doublespeak: 

1. Positioning “natural” methane gas as a bridge fuel. Cornell claims [falsely] that natural gas is a "lower-carbon energy source" and “bridge” fuel that has enabled it to slash emissions by 50%, paving the way to carbon neutrality.

2. Claiming emissions reductions from methane gas while internally acknowledging that the lifecycle emissions from gas are as bad as coal. Cornell’s Baseline Inventory claims massive carbon emissions reductions from natural gas, while internally rejecting their own climate scientists’ warnings that this dramatically underestimates the true scope of emissions, and reversing their own updated accounting methods published in 2016. Once accounting for upstream methane, Cornell has not reduced its emissions since it began tracking progress in 2008.

3. Publicly pledging to support international climate targets, while internally acknowledging that those goals are outside their scope of intended action. Little known fact: Cornell’s climate action goals only apply to their Baseline Inventory, which ignores 70% of its own reported emissions and far more unreported emissions, like student travel, investments, and non-Ithaca campuses. By its own numbers, Cornell is not on track to meet even its limited climate plan goals.

4. Privately lobbying against pro-climate initiatives they publicly claim to support. Check out Cornell’s amendments to Ithaca's Green Building Code, embarrassing disinformation in support of new plans for artificial turf, or lobbying for airport expansion, among other questionable activities.

5. Publicly promoting innovative low-carbon solutions that are low-confidence and lack adequate investment. Cornell is gambling heavily on the Earth Source Heat experiment and leverages this as a delay tactic to avoid undertaking other critical actions now. But ESH is years delayed, and has at best a 50/50 chance of success.

How to explain this symmetry between Big Oil and Big Red climate claims? Ultimately, that’s a question for Cornell leadership. What matters now is correcting mistakes and steadfastly orienting ourselves, collaboratively, toward the future. Big Oil’s lies are exposed for what they are. Now Cornell leadership can confidently undertake a major course correction. 

Read our report for the full story. Here, we offer a poem that tells the story true (read the full poem here):

Extrapolation of the Facts

by Lee Linus Jing Wo, Cornell undergraduate student

The oil companies denied it, of course.

Dressing up their statements in pretty little frocks

carefully knitted lies of blame

dancing darkened digressions around the truth

they took their leave. Left trails of smoke

shining green stars past the clouds of sulfur

carrying only those who could afford to be saved

leaving us. We, the people.

To clean up the impossible mess

the maelstrom of plastic

the gaping hole in our roof.

“Maybe we should have paid more attention to what was happening,”

one placid politician, swaddled in steel, announces

for nobody in particular to hear.

“Maybe we should have recycled a little more…”

Or maybe we should have “operate[d] at the speed, scale, and scope needed to confront climate change,” as Cornell promises in its Sustainability Module for incoming freshmen. 

You, me, and all of us must urge Cornell leadership to address the as-yet unanswered question: Why does Cornell reproduce Big Oil’s disinformation? The Administration needs to hear that we expect climate leadership, advanced emissions reporting, and full and transparent climate accountability – not Big Oil doublespeak. We helped spark that process at Cornell’s commencement on Saturday, with a banner calling out “Big Oil [handshake] Big Red: Climate Hypocrisy” (covered here and here). 

Sometimes, high-stakes mistakes call for provocative messaging. But at the end of the day, we are all on the same side. 

Provost Mike Kotlikoff nailed it. As he marched in the commencement procession, we kept him company for a stretch with our banner. One of us invited, “Come over to our side!” He responded,  “I’m on the side of education.”

We couldn’t have said it better. We are all on the same side – and it’s not the Big Oil side. Cornell must educate itself and its students on the exceptional nature of the climate crisis and embrace the exceptional measures needed to preserve a livable planet, now.

Dear Cornell leadership: It is in your power to do the right thing. Mistakes were made. Big Oil doublespeak was replicated. Let’s correct course now. Later is too late.

Go Big Red,

Cornell on Fire

Share information with Cornell on Fire:

Interested in helping advance climate accountability at Cornell, but not sure how? To support ease of information sharing, anonymous reports can be submitted to Cornell on Fire through our whistlelink channel. 

Gratitude:

Cornell on Fire is proud to announce the receipt of a Sustainable Finger Lakes Neighborhood Mini-Grant! Huge thanks to Sustainable Finger Lakes for supporting our movement.

Opportunities:

• Love investigative research and working for the public interest? We are looking for students or academics interested in research projects this summer. 

• Do you have musical talent or videography/editing skills? We are looking for singers, composers, musical instrument players, and videographers/editors to help with a movement song or film projects.

Get involved with Cornell on Fire now

• Don’t miss Cornell on Fire’s presentation to the Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative Friday, May 31, starting at 9:00am. Zoom link here. 

• Read our reports. What you need to know to demand the change we need.

• Sign Our Demands. Ask Cornell to lead the way with a climate response that is adequate in ambition, credibility, and urgency.

• Join our Working Group: Support us with participation, research, or consultation by reaching out to connect@cornellonfire.org.

• Advise our Working Group: Our Movement Advisors include experts consulting on everything from Indigenous restorative justice to fossil free research and local activism history.

• Join our Alliance Partners: Advance climate justice and your organization’s mission by endorsing our movement. Ask how to get started at connect@cornellonfire.org.

• Spread the word: Forward this newsletter to others.

Engage the Wider Movement:

• Join concerned citizens and scientists in opposing Cornell’s proposal for massive new construction with artificial turf at Ithaca Town and City Planning Board meetings this summer. Next up: Town Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, June 18, at 6:30pm, and City Planning Board meeting on 6/25 at 6 p.m. Be sure to sign Zero Waste Ithaca’s Petition against Cornell’s artificial turf! 

• Extinction Rebellion Climate Vigils 11am every Saturday at Chase Bank - the worst bank on Earth - at the East end of the Ithaca Commons.

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Thank you for reading this far and engaging in the number-one frontline for climate action: your attention.

Newsletter #6 originally published on May 30, 2024.

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