American Petroleum Institute "Victory" Memo Exposes Climate Disinformation Strategy

The American Petroleum Institute (API) organized and funded a sophisticated Global Climate Science Communications Plan designed to systematically create doubt about established climate science. Leaked in April 1998, this strategy memo outlined a multimillion-dollar campaign to undermine public understanding of climate change, specifically targeting media, policymakers, and educators. Key participants including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Southern Company aimed to achieve “victory” by making scientific uncertainty a part of “conventional wisdom”. The plan was developed just months after the Kyoto Protocol, revealing a coordinated effort by fossil fuel companies to obstruct climate action through strategic disinformation.