To the extent that carbon capture works, oil companies view the technology as a way to continue producing more oil and gas well into an increasingly climate-constrained future. A September 2022 report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that many carbon capture projects have failed, and the successful ones typically funnel captured CO2 back into oil and gas projects to boost production. Many carbon capture projects to date trap very little carbon pollution and are riddled with technical and economic obstacles. In another example from October 2019, in advance of an event held in Washington, D.C., one Shell official advised another to “be cagey about project specifics” related to carbon capture. cjtFJygZh8- ExxonMobil SeptemOne of ExxonMobil’s ads featuring algae-based biofuels.Īnother tranche of documents show that the oil industry privately harbors doubt about carbon capture and sequestration even as it positions the technology as a key climate solution.įor example, draft advertisements prepared by PR firm BBDO for ExxonMobil to use in New Jersey describe “carbon capture at mass scale” as one of “the technologies being developed right here in Jersey at ExxonMobil’s Research and Engineering facilities.” But private communications from BBDO show that after meeting with Exxon staff to discuss the ad, BBDO noted that it would “replace any lines that imply the technology is live today.” In addition, in preparation of an advertising campaign on algae, a public affairs manager at ExxonMobil expressed concern in an April 2016 email about the phrase “abundant algae,” cautioning that “even though they are abundant, it will take a ton of them to make biofuels so that might create some angst with the research folks who knows that.” Last year, the Wall Street Journal looked at ExxonMobil’s claims on algae, and found doubts from external scientists that the technology is viable.įrom production to combustion, here are a few reasons algae biofuel could be such a promising energy resource. In a September 2018 draft presentation for investors, ExxonMobil struck an optimistic tone on its algae fuels, but notes accompanying the presentation, obtained by the House committee, state that the technology is “still decades away from the scale we need.” “be cagey about project specifics” Shell official advising a colleague on carbon capture talking points in 2019ĮxxonMobil has spent $68 million in advertising on its algae-based liquid fuels. As DeSmog has reported over the years, many industry climate claims have been criticized as exercises in greenwashing, covering up for business as usual.īut the congressional documents also point to skepticism from within the oil companies themselves, highlighting the gap between their public and private statements. The oil majors routinely spend heavily on advertising climate solutions that many scientists, environmental groups, and other experts have long questioned. “The documents show that both Exxon and Chevron fought hard to avoid making any real commitments to advocate for the policies they claim to support.” Technologies That Are “Still Decades Away” Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) said at the Committee’s hearing on September 15. “Today, our Committee is releasing new documents from our investigation that shed light on how the fossil fuel industry misled the public about their climate goals, their actions, and their investments,” Rep. House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a memo on September 14 that detailed documents and internal communications from oil companies including BP, Shell, and ExxonMobil, which show efforts to heavily promote their investments in promising technologies to address climate change, such as algae biofuels and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), while internally expressing doubt about the viability and immediacy of those investments. New documents released by a congressional committee show that major oil companies, under pressure from the worsening climate crisis, have carefully crafted public messages to convey an effort of transitioning to cleaner technologies, but that the campaigns appear aimed at obscuring the fact that they remain “devoted to a long-term fossil fuel future,” the committee report states.
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