Manila—The climate plans that will be released today by the oil majors – Shell, BP, BG Group, Saudi Aramco, Sinopec, Pemex, Total, and ENI [1] – make a mockery of the global efforts to address climate change. False solutions such as carbon capture technologies [2] takes us two steps back in our efforts to curb carbon emissions – the primary driver of climate change resulting in environmental and human rights violations.

“The oil majors are still in denial of their role in exacerbating climate change. Their science fiction fixes are unacceptable. It is a lame solution promoted by those who refuse to face the inconvenient reality of climate change. Renewable energy solutions are already staring us in the face, yet these oil majors are proving to be troublemakers, peddling their dirty and polluting business under the guise of a climate plan,” said Anna Abad, Climate Justice Campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

ExxonMobil, another oil major, but not part of the venture, was exposed [3] to have funded research on climate change as far back as 1978 with Columbia University, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and the US Department of Energy. The reports and modeling all confirm the role of fossil fuels in climate change and state the negative impacts to their business, and yet they have bankrolled a public campaign defrauding the public about the science and climate change, the same way that the big tobacco led their misinformation campaign.

“For too long, these oil majors have had an indefinite monopoly of dictating our future. They have reaped the benefits of extracting dirty fossil fuels at the expense of human beings and the environment. It is unethical and criminal to sell out our fate on this pie-in-the-sky solution instead of harnessing infinite resources such as renewable energy that are readily available,” concluded Abad.

In the Philippines, a Climate Change and Human Rights complaint [4] was delivered to the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHR) on September 22, 2015, calling for an investigation into the responsibility of big fossil fuel companies [5] for fuelling catastrophic climate change resulting in human rights violations.

The complaint, which is the first of its kind in the world, is being brought forward by typhoon survivors, advocates and non-governmental organizations, including Greenpeace Southeast Asia, and thousands of online supporters [6]. The group is demanding an investigation into the top 50 investor-owned fossil fuel companies and their responsibility for climate impacts that endanger people’s lives and livelihoods, as well as that of future generations.

Notes to the Editor:

[1] Oil and Gas Climate Initiative

[2] Fuelling the Climate Crisis

[3] What Exxon knew about the Earth’s melting Arctic

[4] Climate Change and Human Rights complaint 

[5] Carbon Majors: Accounting for carbon and methane emissions 1854-2010, Methods & Results Report

[6] Greenpeace Southeast Asia petition

For more information:

Therese Salvador, Media Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia
M: +63917-8228734, E: [email protected]