September 2, 1982 Exxon’s Roger Cohen sends a memo to Exxon’s Al Natkin summarizing climate modeling research and the CO2 greenhouse effect. Cohen writes that while climate models vary widely and that there has not been a measurable change in the earth’s climate due increasing CO2, over the past several years have a “clear scientific consensus has emerged regarding the expected effects of increased atmospheric CO2.”

Cohen emphasizes that the scientific consensus is not unanimous and that MIT Professor Reginald Newell. However, Cohen also writes that Exxon has explored Newell’s research and finds that there will be larger temperature increases over the polar regions “giving a global average temperature increase that falls within the range of the scientific consensus.”

The memo was forwarded to other Exxon officials involved in the company’s internal carbon research program: Andrew Callegari, E. E. David, Jr., Brian Flannery, M. Glaser, Duane Levine, P. Lucchesi, and Harold Weinberg.