How BP's funding of Princeton's "Wedges" paper shaped climate discourse to avoid fossil fuel phase-out
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ProPublica
Summary
This investigative article reveals how BP funded Princeton University's Carbon Mitigation Initiative, which produced the influential "Wedges" paper — a climate framework that made solving climate change seem achievable without requiring a transition away from fossil fuels. The article argues that this research, while scientifically sound, was shaped by corporate sponsorship to steer climate discourse away from systemic solutions like keeping oil in the ground, and instead toward technological fixes compatible with continued fossil fuel extraction. It examines the long-term impact of this framing on climate policy and public understanding.
Source
bskyHow BP's funding of Princeton's "Wedges" paper shaped climate discourse to avoid fossil fuel phase-outdailykos.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledIt is rare that a single scientific paper shapes how people think about a challenge as daunting as climate change. But one, known as 'Wedges,' published 22 years ago by researchers at Princeton University, told an irresistible story.
It made solving climate change seem possible, even without getting off fossil fuels.
BP sponsored an elite Princeton research center to address the climate problem without getting off fossil fuels. Its key work, a paper known as 'Wedges,' guided climate discourse for a generation.
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