Major oil company CEOs call for global framework to cut carbon
Major oil and gas companies BG Group, BP, Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil and Total have called on governments around the world and the United Nations to introduce carbon-pricing systems and create clear, stable, ambitious policy frameworks that could eve
These would reduce uncertainty and encourage the most cost-effective ways of reducing carbon emissions widely, they say.
The six companies set out their position in a joint letter from their chief executives to the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the president of COP21, the UN Climate Change Conference to take place in Paris in December.
With this unprecedented joint initiative, the companies say they recognise both the importance of the climate challenge and the importance of energy to human life and well-being. They acknowledge the current trend of greenhouse-gas emissions is in excess of what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says is needed to limit global temperature rise to no more than 2 degrees Celsius, and say they are ready to contribute solutions.
“Our industry faces a challenge: we need to meet greater energy demand with less [carbon dioxide]. We are ready to meet that challenge and we are prepared to play our part,” the letter said.
“We firmly believe that carbon pricing will discourage high carbon options and reduce uncertainty that will help stimulate investments in the right low-carbon technologies and the right resources at the right pace. We now need governments around the world to provide us with this framework and we believe our presence at the table will be helpful in designing an approach that will be both practical and deliverable.”
The letter was signed by six chief executives of major oil and gas firms, namely Helge Lund, BG Group; Bob Dudley, BP; Claudio Descalzi, Eni; Ben van Beurden, Royal Dutch Shell; Eldar Saetre, Statoil; and Patrick Pouyanne, Total.
