ACCESSING CLASSIFIED FILES
Decrypting documents...
Your connection is being monitored
Back to Individuals
critical risk
Lee Raymond
Former Chairman and CEO; ExxonMobil
Led Exxon while publicly denying climate change at 1997 World Petroleum Congress; despite internal scientists confirming it since 1977; received $400 million retirement package
Overview
Lee Raymond served as chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil from 1993 to 2005; leading the world's largest publicly traded oil company during a period when the corporation systematically denied and obscured the reality of climate change. Internal Exxon scientific research; dating back to 1977 under the leadership of scientist James Black; had confirmed that fossil fuel combustion was causing global warming. Exxon's own climate projections from the 1980s were remarkably accurate; predicting warming trends that have since been confirmed. Despite this internal knowledge; Raymond publicly denied climate science at the 1997 World Petroleum Congress in Beijing; declaring: "The case for so-called global warming is far from airtight" and warning against "premature actions" to reduce emissions. Under Raymond's leadership; ExxonMobil funded climate denial organizations and think tanks to the tune of tens of millions of dollars; including the American Enterprise Institute; the Competitive Enterprise Institute; and the George C. Marshall Institute. These organizations manufactured uncertainty about climate science; adopted strategies directly from the tobacco industry's playbook for denying the link between smoking and cancer. Raymond lobbied against the Kyoto Protocol and successfully influenced the George W. Bush administration to withdraw the United States from the agreement. Upon retirement in 2005; Raymond received a compensation package valued at approximately $400 million; including a $98 million cash payout. Multiple state attorneys general and congressional investigations have since examined ExxonMobil's role in climate disinformation.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Publicly denied climate change at 1997 World Petroleum Congress while Exxon's own scientists had confirmed global warming since 1977
Under Raymond; ExxonMobil funded tens of millions of dollars to climate denial organizations using tactics from the tobacco industry playbook
Successfully lobbied the Bush administration to withdraw the U.S. from the Kyoto Protocol
Received approximately $400 million retirement package including $98 million cash payout; one of the largest in corporate history
Multiple state attorneys general and congressional investigations have examined ExxonMobil's climate disinformation under Raymond's leadership
Exxon's internal climate projections from the 1980s were remarkably accurate; proving the company understood the science it publicly denied
Related Investigations (1)
Known Associates & Connections
James Black
Exxon scientist whose 1977 climate findings Raymond's leadership suppressed
Rex Tillerson
Successor as Exxon CEO who continued climate obstruction
Naomi Oreskes
Historian who documented Exxon's climate denial under Raymond
Sources & Documentation
2 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Personal Information
- Born
- August 13, 1938
- Birthplace
- Watertown, South Dakota, USA
Education
- •University of Wisconsin; B.S. Chemical Engineering
- •University of Minnesota; Ph.D. Chemical Engineering
Key Timeline
August 13, 1938
Born in Watertown, South Dakota
1993
Becomes Chairman and CEO of Exxon
October 1997
Publicly denies climate change at World Petroleum Congress in Beijing; despite decades of internal research confirming it
1998-2005
ExxonMobil funds tens of millions to climate denial organizations and think tanks
2001
Bush administration withdraws U.S. from Kyoto Protocol after Exxon lobbying
December 2005
Retires with approximately $400 million compensation package
2015
InsideClimate News and LA Times investigations reveal Exxon knew about climate change since 1977