The fossil fuel industry didn’t just sell us gas—they sold us doubt, distraction, and delay.

For decades, Big Oil has known exactly what its products are doing to the planet. Internal memos from the 1970s show that oil companies understood the science of climate change long before most people had even heard the term. But instead of acting, they got strategic. They invested in PR campaigns, front groups, and think tanks—all designed to sow confusion, delay regulation, and shift the blame away from corporations and onto individuals.
This wasn’t ignorance. It was manipulation. The goal wasn’t just to keep drilling—it was to keep us distracted. While the planet burned, they pushed myths that still shape how people talk about climate change today. Some of these lies sound harmless. Others sound like common sense. But all of them serve the same purpose: protecting profits while sabotaging progress. Here are 11 of the most dangerous myths they sold us.








