Eight oil and gas majors will meet in Paris to flesh out proposals for a move towards cleaner energy. Carbon pricing is a start but a firm list of more ambitious commitments could be transformational
From Brent Spar to the Arctic 30 protesters, oil and gas companies have traditionally been regarded as the environment movement’s most implacable foes. So it is hard to overstate the significance of the letter sent in June by six of the largest European oil and gas firms to the United Nations and its member governments. Their message, in essence: “We would like to be part of the climate change solution, not part of the problem.”
The companies, including Shell and BP, called for “widespread and effective pricing of carbon emissions”. They also backed a bigger role for natural gas, the burning of which releases around half the carbon emissions of coal. The companies are expected to publish more detailed proposals on Friday, ahead of this year’s potentially pivotal UN climate summit in Paris.