In March , Exxon CEO Darren Woods whinedthat other rock oil companies drafting climate design were simply engaging in a “ beauty peer . ” Now , Exxon has a climate program of its own . But it ’s the horrible and most craven of the lot because it actually say nothing about reducing emissions .
Now , to be fair to Woods , it ’s pretty comfortable to criticise other oil companies ’ climate plans . Wedo it all thetime here ! The difference is , Earther is not a pitiless , multination corporation devote to stifle out challenger , committinggross human right wing violations , andlying to the publicto entrench our business and bottom line .
https://gizmodo.com/the-exponential-failure-of-doing-nothing-1845861563
Protesters stoke a fire with tires and block the access to the Exxon Mobil refinery in France. It is also a metaphor for how Exxon treats the atmosphere.Photo: Carly Triballeau (Getty Images)
For Exxon to talk trash about its fellow planetary death dealers pretend to dole out a kinder , patrician death sentence is deep . But now it seems Exxon has come around to the PR value of craft a climate plan . On Monday , itdropped a visionfor humanely destroying the biosphere . While other oil company have said they ’ll reach some far - off target of nett - zero emissions by 2050 , Exxon is here to allow you know it is center on “ meaningful near - term emission reduction . ” But the catch is that the architectural plan include zero reducing in emissions .
Rather , it calls for cut the emission intensity of its operations by 15 % to 20 % by 2025 , which is entirely negate by its plan to increase oil production . It also includes methane targets that are again focused on reducing intensity rather than overall emission . That give Exxon the squirm way to keep ramping up its emissions as long as they are less intense . And plan to do that it does , according toleaked documents viewed by Bloombergin October . They show that Exxon ’s business plan would result in a17 % increase in total carbon paper emanation . It ’s the equivalent of someone who ’s lactose - intolerant chugging a gallon of half - and - one-half or else of a crank of clayey emollient and pretend that ’s somehow good for them and everyone around them .
Exxon ’s pledge to mainline half - and - half is also focused entirely on “ upstream ” operation — everything from taking the oil out of the ground to getting it to the refinery — which account for roughly a one-fifth of total emissions bind to a barrel of crude oil . Most emissions come downstream from the tape transport and use of allege oil , a chunk of discharge known in oilspeak as Scope 3 . If we want to keep the dairy analogy going , Scope 3 discharge are like the butter of carbon paper defilement . Exxon ’s offer on those emissions is n’t even an intensity reduction . Rather , it ’s “ provide Scope 3 emissions . ” So Exxon ’s plan is to keep squeeze butter down your pharynx while severely state you it ’s bad and postulate why you wo n’t stop exhaust it .
The methane intensity reduction — the targets admit a 40 % to 50 % intensity plunge and 35 % to 45 % crushed flaring saturation by 2025 — are also comic . Oil troupe , including Exxon , implore Donald Trumpto not rollback rules to limit methane expelling because it could damage natural gas ’ repute as a cleaner form of fogy fuel . President - elect Joe Biden has repeatedly said he will crack down on the strong glasshouse gas , and it boast prominently in his climate plan . In meat , Exxon is committing to something it ’s almost certainly going to have to do anyways . And again , reduced break open intensity does nothing toactually reduce yield .
The clearest sign Exxon ’s program is a cheap public relations stunt is actually how it ’s presented . The page has beautiful pictures of the Eiffel Tower to typify the Paris Agreement and a fairly blurry photo of people lounging in Central Park amidst dark-green grass — it ’s standard pablum for this type of matter . But the tangible hint is the little share icons for every section , indicating Exxon has a subject matter it would very much like out in the world . Click them , and you could brand the following to your Twitter , Facebook , or LinkedIn Sir Frederick Handley Page :
“ Builds on success of exist efforts to reduce methane emission and flaring , and brook the goals of the Paris Agreement ”
The final vilification fare from Woods himself . In a pull quote in the climate plan , he note that “ we respect and support social club ’s ambition to attain net zero emission by 2050 , ” something that Exxon explicitly tell in its plan it will take no part in . This is the Big Oil translation of opinion and prayers . And if this architectural plan is the best Exxon can come up with , we ’re go to require those thoughts and prayers unless policymakers take meaningful footprint to roll down oil yield , protect actor , and hold companies like Exxon accountable .
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