Posted on 14 November 2020 by John Hartz

Editor's Choice

Two U.S. Oil Companies Join Their European Counterparts in Making Net-Zero Pledges

Occidental Petroleum and ConocoPhillips define their net-zero goals differently, and neither is signaling a shift to clean energy, as some European companies are.

Occidental Petroleum announced on Tuesday that it will reach net-zero emissions for all the oil and gas it produces by mid-century. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</>

The past few years have brought a widening gap between American oil companies and their European counterparts when it comes to pledging to address global warming. But two recent announcements may signal a change.

Occidental Petroleum announced on Tuesday that it will reach net-zero emissions for all the oil and gas it produces by mid-century, becoming the first major American oil company to make such a pledge. The target aligns the company with the position of an incoming Biden administration that has made addressing climate change a central part of its agenda.

News of the company's pledge came just weeks after ConocoPhillips announced a goal of zeroing out its direct greenhouse gas emissions, which are much less than the emissions that come from burning the oil and gas the company sells. Taken together, the two corporate pledges could increase pressure on ExxonMobil and Chevron, the nation's largest oil companies, which have yet to announce such far-reaching goals.

Click here to access the entire article as originally published on the InsideClimate News website.

Two U.S. Oil Companies Join Their European Counterparts in Making Net-Zero Pledges by Nicholas Kusnetz, InsideClimate News, Nov 12, 2020

Articles Linked to on Facebook

Sun, Nov 8, 2020

• An Underappreciated Danger of the New Space Age: Global Air Pollution by Martin N Ross & Leonard David, Scientific American, Nov 6, 2020
• Amazon forest fires continue to cause emissions years after burning out by Daisy Dunne, Environment, The Independent (UK), Nov 5, 2020
• A Biden victory positions America for a 180-degree turn on climate change by Juliet Eilperin, Dino Grandoni & Darryl Fears, Climate & Environment, Washington Post, Nov 7, 2020
• Tropical Storm Eta Heads Toward South Florida After Strengthening by Marie Fazio, U.S., New York Times, Nov 8, 2020

Mon, Nov 9, 2020

• Five things Joe Biden can do to fight climate change — without Congress’ help by Anna M Phillips, Politics, Los Angeles Times, Nov 8, 2020
• Alaska’s permafrost, which stores greenhouse gases, is less plentiful and more fragile than believed, study says by Erin Blakemore, Science, Washington Post, Nov 7, 2020
• Biden has a climate mandate, Opinion by Leah C Stokes, Boston Globe, Nov 8, 2020
• 20 climate change documentaries you need to watch because this planet is NOT fine by Shanon Connellan, Social Good, Mashable, Nov 8, 2020

Tue, Nov 10, 2020

• 9 Things the Biden Administration Could Do Quickly on the Environment by Lisa Friedman, Climate, New York Times, Nov 8, 2020
• Climate change intensifies tsunami threat in Alaska by Victoria Petersen, Climate, High County News, Nov 9, 2020
• Trump administration removes head of federal climate program that oversees key reports by Jason Samenow, Andrew Freedman Juliet Eilperin, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Nov 9, 2020
• Theta forms in the Atlantic, breaking record as 29th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season by Jeff Masters, Eye on the Storm, Yale Climate Connections, Nov 10, 2020

Wed, Nov 11, 2020

• What Will Trump’s Most Profound Legacy Be? Possibly Climate Damage by Coral Davenport, Climate New York Times, Nov 9, 2020
• 5 Things We Know About Climate Change and Hurricanes by Veronica Penney, Climate & Environment, New York Times, Nov 10, 2020
• ‘Hypocrites and greenwash’: Greta Thunberg blasts leaders over climate crisis by Damian Carrington, Environment, The Guardian, Nov 9, 2020
• How Joe Biden plans to use executive powers to fight climate change by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, Nov 9, 2020

Thu, Nov 12, 2020

• Here are 10 climate executive actions Biden says he will take on day one by Kate Sullivan, CNN, Nov 11, 2020
• Thanks to climate change, hurricanes pummel land longer, Climate & Environment, AP/Los Angeles Times, Nov 11, 2020
• Tropical Storm Eta makes landfall on Florida coast by Madeline Holcombe, CNN, Nov 12, 2020
• How Biden Might Reverse Trump’s Attacks on Climate Research by Chelsea Harvey, E&E News/Scientific American, Nov 11, 2020
• Climate change: Hurricanes get stronger on land as world warms by Matt McGrath, Science, BBC News, Nov 11, 2020

Fri, Nov 13, 2020

• Learning How to Talk: What Climate Activists Must Do in the Biden Era, Opinion by Bill McKibben, Yale Environment 360, Nov 12, 2020
• Low-Carbon Cement Can Help Combat Climate Change by Mariette DiChristina, Scientific American, Nov 10, 2020
• How One Firm Drove Influence Campaigns Nationwide for Big Oil by Hiroko Tabuchi, Climate & Environment, New York Times, Nov 11, 2020
• Eta, Theta and now Iota: Tropical storm forecast to approach Central America as a hurricane next week by Doyle Rice, Nation, USA Today, Nov 13, 2020
• The Energy 202: Climate activists are already lobbying Biden with Cabinet picks and policy checklists by Dan Grandoni, PowerPost, Washington Post, Nov 13, 2020
• What did 1970’s climate science actually say? by Margaret Orr, Skeptical Science, Nov 12, 2020

Sat, Nov 14, 2020

• White House taps second controversial scientist to steer major U.S. climate change report by Andrew Freedman, Juliet Eilperin & Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Nov 13, 2020
• The world's largest wetlands are on fire. That's a disaster for all of us by Ivana Kottasová, Henrik Pettersson & Krystina Shveda, CNN, Nov 13, 2020
• Biden Wants to Be the Climate President. He’ll Need Some Help From Xi Jinping. by Somini Sengupta, Climate & Environment, New York Times, Nov 13, 2020
• Tropical Storm Iota forecast to hit storm-ravaged Central America as a major hurricane early next week by Jason Hanna, CNN, Nov 14, 2020
• Two U.S. Oil Companies Join Their European Counterparts in Making Net-Zero Pledges by Nicholas Kusnetz, InsideClimate News, Nov 12, 2020