“They knew all they needed to know” ExxonMobil scientists predicted the climate crisis with astounding accuracy as early as 1977, a new Harvard study reveals. The new analysis on the precision of company scientists’ predictions could be powerful fuel for cities and states that are suing ExxonMobil, accusing the fossil-fuel corporation of violating consumer-protection statutes, lying to investors, or committing racketeering. “This analysis is a stick of dynamite in these cases,” Patrick Parenteau, professor and senior fellow of climate policy at Vermont Law School, told Insider in an email. “It is the kind of incriminating evidence that can really influence a jury.” Published in the peer-reviewed journal Science on Thursday, the study compares early ExxonMobil climate models to those from other scientists at the time, and to the actual rise in global temperature that has occurred since then. According to the study, 63% to 83% of global warming projections from the company’s scientists have turned out to be accurate matches of real-life temperature rises in the decades since. These projections had an average “skill score” of 66% to 78% — higher than the scores ranging from 38% to 66% reported by NASA scientist James Hansen when he testified to Congress in 1988. Despite having this precise information about the consequences, ExxonMobil publicly denied that global warming would happen, spent decades attempting to discredit public research that predicted it, and touted the myth that the planet was actually cooling. At the same time, the company shored up its infrastructure against the coming climate changes. “That is arguably…