Anticipated Antarctic Larsen C Iceberg Collapse Should Bear the Name of Exxon’s Climate Deception
By Lindsay Meiman, 350.org
Over ten thousand people around the world are calling for the Larsen C Iceberg to be renamed the “#ExxonKnew Iceberg.” The iceberg, expected to break from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica any moment, demonstrates the signs of a rapidly warming climate. Organizers are calling on the US National Ice Center to rename the iceberg after ExxonMobil, the corporation notably most responsible for propagating climate destruction and deception.
“With one of the world’s biggest ice shelves at a breaking point, this destruction should bear the name of its greatest perpetrator: Exxon,” said Aaron Packard, 350.org’s Climate Impact Coordinator. “People deserve to understand the devastation of Exxon’s decades of climate deception, and realize fossil fuel companies for the climate criminals they are.”
Investigative reports revealed Exxon’s own scientists warned about the dangers of fossil fuel use as far back at the 1970s. Instead of heeding the warnings, executives embarked on a decades-long and ongoing campaign to spread misinformation amongst the public, bankroll climate-denying politicians and front-groups, and block climate action at every level. Exxon is currently under investigation by two state attorneys general in the US, and is under intense public scrutiny for its continued role in knowingly perpetuating the climate crisis.
Since the initial warnings from Exxon’s in-house scientists, the region of the Larsen Ice Shelf has warmed nearly three degrees celsius.
The iceberg, approximately the size of Delaware, is expected to calve off and collapse into the ocean. Scientists warn, after observing the crack for years and noting a dramatic increase in the pace of the rift, that the break will set off feedback loops, including hastening ice collapse, sea level rise, and destabilization of the Antarctic region.
“Once the iceberg calves off the Larsen C ice shelf, scientists believe it will be very unstable, and is likely to disintegrate rapidly,” said Packard. “We will continue to fight to make sure the fossil fuel industry and its plans to exploit our communities and our planet follows suit.”
350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. But solutions exist. All around the world, a movement is building to take on the climate crisis, to get humanity out of the danger zone and below 350. This movement is massive, it is diverse, and it is visionary. We are activists, scholars, and scientists. We are leaders in our businesses, our churches, our governments, and our schools. We are clean energy advocates, forward-thinking politicians, and fearless revolutionaries. And we are united around the world, driven to make our planet livable for all who come after us. See more at 350.org.