Oil industry has sought to block state backing for green tech since 1960s

Research shows industry lobbying against support for solar panels and electric cars while enjoying subsidies itself

The oil industry has fought against government support for clean technologies for more than half a century, the Guardian can reveal, even as vast subsidies have propped up its polluting business model.

It lobbied lawmakers to block support for low-carbon technologies such as solar panels, electric cars and heat pumps as far back as the 1960s, analysis shows. Trade associations in the US and Europe stymied green innovations under the guise of supporting a technology neutral" approach to avoiding the damage done by burning their fuels.