BP Secretly Shaped Princeton’s Famous Climate Plan

A landmark scientific paper that made climate change seem solvable was quietly influenced by oil giant BP, a new investigation reveals. The study, called “Wedges,” was published 22 years ago by Princeton University researchers. It offered a simple, hopeful story: humanity could stop global warming using existing technologies. The paper became a cornerstone of climate policy worldwide. But an investigation by ProPublica and Drilled found that BP played a hidden role in shaping the study’s conclusions. The company provided funding and input that helped define the paper’s narrow focus on technology, avoiding deeper questions about reducing fossil fuel use. The “Wedges” concept divided the climate problem into seven “wedges,” each representing a strategy to cut carbon emissions. BP executives helped select which wedges to include. The final paper highlighted solutions like renewable energy and efficiency, but downplayed the need to leave oil and gas in the ground. This influence is significant because the study has guided governments and corporations for two decades. Critics say the BP-backed framework gave the public a false sense that climate change could be solved without challenging the fossil fuel industry’s core business. The report is based on internal documents and interviews with former Princeton researchers and BP staff. It shows how a single company helped write the story of climate action—a story that made the problem seem easy, while protecting its own profits.