The truth about the climate and ecological emergency
greenwash (noun): activities by a company or an organisation that are intended to make people think that it is concerned about the environment, even if its real business actually harms the environment.
@BorisJohnson said the UK would "lead the way" on climate change as we prepare to host global climate talks, COP26.
So why did he sign off new oil and gas licences in the North Sea recently? (March '21). Read more here
BP's Hamble-le-Rice terminal has been blocked by Extinction Rebellion protesters in a demonstration against greenwashing.
The bar is set pretty low for Oil and Gas companies - along with their products they pump out an astonishing series of misinformation and lies about what they have been doing, and what they continue to do. If you read the sustainability statements on their website you might thing they were cleaner than clean - no obvious claims about increasing shareholder value .... and yet ....
Extinction Rebellion has today said enough is enough . In blocking the BP terminal they said it was protesting about what it called industry greenwashing – misleading people into thinking oil and gas was environmentally sound.
The group called on the UK industry regulator, the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA), to end its policy on Maximum Economic Recovery of oil and gas. It also said the OGA should stop issuing new exploration and production licences.
The upcoming G7 talks in Cornwall later this month should agree to replace fossil fuel extraction with a transition that protects the world’s most vulnerable people, the group added.
Read more in
Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, Imperial, MEG Energy and Suncor Energy formally announced today the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero initiative. These companies operate approximately 90% of Canada’s oil sands production. The goal of this unique alliance, working collectively with the federal and Alberta governments, is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oil sands operations by 2050 to help Canada meet its climate goals, including its Paris Agreement commitments and 2050 net zero aspirations. Read more here
Too little too late - Reading the energy companies statements you could almost start to feel that they meant it.
But ... Carbon Net Zero is a seriously compromised strategy and it would certainly be interesting to know more about what they are actually up to. Are they, for example, continuing to produce heavily polluting Tar Sands Oil and invest in a forest somewhere else in the world?
Read this report from Friends of the Earth and others which highlights the nonsense and unbelievable Greenwash coming from these people.
"ExxonMobil is committed to operating our businesses in a responsible and sustainable manner, supplying high-quality products while working to minimize environmental impacts and climate change risks.
Few would disagree that one of the most urgent societal challenges we face today is addressing the risks of climate change. How we meet the world’s demand for the energy necessary for economic growth while mitigating the long-term impact on our environment is key to our sustainable future."
Darren Woods, Chairman and CEO ExxonMobil UK says:
Activists praised ExxonMobil's shift in tone, which showed the company no longer seeks long-term oil and gas production growth and said it would use any extra cash to reduce debt rather than boost drilling. But critics noted the plan falls short of European rivals such as Royal Dutch Shell and Total, which have set targets to reach net-zero carbon emissions and invested in renewable energy.
ExxonMobil's plan "risks continued long-term value destruction," said Engine No.1, an activist investor group that focuses on climate change, has nominated four directors to the company's board.
At the heart of the company's emerging climate strategy is CCS, which captures emissions from industrial sources including refineries and chemical plants and injects them deep into geologic formations for permanent storage. ExxonMobil has planned $3 billion in new CCS investments over the next five years.
But its plans also include a 2021 capital budget of between $16 and $19 billion, with heavy oil and gas upstream investments in the US Permian Basin, as well as in Guyana and Brazil.
finance/yahoo. Chairman's letter
An astonishing global shift is under way: 127 countries have now stated that by mid-century their overall emissions of carbon dioxide will be zero. That includes the EU, US, and UK by 2050 – and China by 2060. Companies are enthusiastically signing up to similar “net zero” goals.
Mark Carney, the ex-governor of the Bank of England and climate adviser to Boris Johnson, recently described his $600bn Brookfield Asset Management portfolio as “carbon neutral”, despite investing in fossil fuels. Carney said: “The reason we’re net zero is that we have this enormous renewables business.” He went on to claim that renewables avoid carbon emissions that would otherwise have happened, so they “offset” his investments in fossil fuels. This is not net zero. It is an accounting trick. Emitting carbon at the same time as building solar capability does not equal zero emissions overall. Offsetting needs to be used to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, to counter difficult-to-remove emissions, and not just be an enabler of business-as-nearly-usual. Read more here
Mike Wirth, CEO Chevron
We all have a role to play in creating a cleaner future. At Chevron, we’re lowering the carbon emissions intensity of our operations, investing in lower-carbon technologies and exploring renewable fuels of the future. Learn more: http://chevron.com/lowercarbon #HumanEnergy
Chevron Corp. is misleading consumers about its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, environmental groups said in what they described as a first-of-its-kind complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission. Chevron’s pledge of “ever-cleaner energy” amounts to so-called greenwashing because it hides the reality that the company’s production plans may end up increasing absolute emissions, according to Global Witness, Greenpeace USA and Earthworks. Ads touting the oil giant’s environmental record and investments in clean tech disguise its role as one of the world’s biggest corporate polluters, the nonprofit groups say. The complaint comes just days after Chevron announced a strategy centered on “higher returns, lower carbon.”