Davos 2023: UN Secretary-General demands accountability for carbon emissions from oil producers
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urges global leaders to "supercharge" the transition to renewable energy and hold oil producers accountable for ignoring red flags of climate disaster.
PHOTO: Congress center in Davos for World Economic Forum's annual summit. Getty Images
Amidst the scenic beauty of Davos, Switzerland, Guterres delivered a sombre message on the third day of the World Economic Forum’s flagship annual meeting.
Guterres warned against ignoring what he describes as an "existential challenge" posed by a climate catastrophe, reminding listeners to hold those responsible for global warming accountable.
“We learned last week that certain fossil fuel producers were fully aware in the 1970s that their core product was baking our planet,” he says calling out the fossil fuel producers for their huge contributions to climate change.
Based on the International Energy Agency's analysis, oil production accounts for around 40% of global methane emissions, while leaks throughout the natural gas value chain account for the other 60%. The extraction, processing and transportation of oil and gas generate CO2 and methane emissions equal to around 5.5 billion mt of CO2. Globally, this accounts for around 15% of greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector. Emissions from consumption of oil and gas products come in addition.
In Guterres' view, today's oil sector is a repeat the tobacco industry in that "Big Oil peddled a big lie while ignoring its own science,” and just as with tobacco companies, “those responsible must be held accountable.” He added that the fossil fuel producers and their enablers are still racing to expand production despite being aware that their business model is “inconsistent with human survival.”
In 2022, the IEA estimated that global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion would rise by approximately 300 million mt to 33.8 billion mt, while a Global Carbon Project analysis has projected total CO2 emissions from fossil fuels to reach a record 36.6 billion mt. The figures are in stark contrast with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s agenda of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030.
He emphasised that a united response from governments and business leaders is crucial in order to foster economic development as well as to “keep the 1.5°C limit alive”, and he implored both groups to step up and take action, in order to “end our addiction to fossil fuels and to stop our self-defeating war on nature.”
Assuming it is possible to reduce the extent of damage, however, he cautioned that the transition to net zero must be based on “real emissions cuts” rather than on carbon credits or shadow markets.
By Konica Bhatt
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