https://www.wionews.com/world/from-exxon-to-gazprom-57-corporations-drive-80-of-global-emissions-finds-study-707649
New Delhi, IndiaEdited By: Moohita Kaur GargUpdated: Apr 04, 2024, 04:10 PM IST
A staggering 80 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions is caused by only 57 oil, gas, coal, and cement producers.
As per a recent study, this powerful cohort of state-controlled corporations and shareholder-owned multinationals are the primary drivers of the ongoing climate crisis, according to the Carbon Majors Database, compiled by renowned researchers.
Despite global commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the analysis shows that most of these major producers increased their output of fossil fuels and related emissions in the seven years following the Paris Agreement, compared to the seven years prior.
The database, which includes 122 of the world's largest historical climate polluters, highlights that 65 per cent of state entities and 55 per cent of private-sector companies scaled up their production during this period.
The biggest polluters
Leading the pack among investor-owned contributors to emissions was ExxonMobil, linked to 3.6 gigatonnes of CO2 over seven years, followed closely by Shell, BP, Chevron, and TotalEnergies, each associated with at least one per cent of global emissions.
Notably, the most significant surge in emissions was seen in state and state-owned producers, particularly in the Asian coal sector. This growth trend, which has continued, contradicts the International Energy Agency's warning that opening new oil and gas fields is incompatible with staying within safe global heating limits.
Richard Heede, who founded the Carbon Majors dataset, criticised companies for expanding fossil fuel exploration and production despite knowing for decades about the harm caused by their products.
"It is morally reprehensible for companies to continue expanding exploration and production of carbon fuels in the face of knowledge now for decades that their products are harmful," he said.
He urged not to blame consumers "who have been forced to be reliant on oil and gas due to government capture by oil and gas companies."
The Carbon Majors' research has shifted the narrative on climate responsibility. For maybe the first time, it has attributed emissions to entities profiting from fossil fuel extraction rather than individual consumers.
The database compares long-term emissions trends dating back to 1854 with recent developments since the 2016 Paris Agreement.
The long-term analysis shows that Chinese state coal production accounts for the largest share (14 per cent) of historic global CO2 emissions, followed by the former Soviet Union and Saudi Aramco.
Next in the line-up are the major US companies: Chevron with a three per cent share and ExxonMobil with 2.8 per cent. They are trailed by Russia's Gazprom and the National Iranian Oil Company. Following closely behind are two European firms: BP and Shell, each with more than a two per cent share, and then Coal India.
Heede also pointed out that fossil fuel producers have a moral obligation to pay for the damages they have caused.