DesmogBlog has uncovered a 1985 lecture by climate scientist James Lovelock to Shell Oil discussing Gaia theory and environmental consequences. The rediscovered lecture has renewed relevance to current discussions of wildfires and planetary health.
Court documents and reports reveal that Shell Oil received a confidential memo from scientist James Lovelock in June 1966 warning of climate worsening, knowledge the company allegedly obscured through decades of climate denial campaigns. Shell reported Q2 2026 earnings of $10 billion while facing legal scrutiny over its historical climate knowledge.