Disinformation campaigns by oil and gas companies about the effects of dirty fuels on the climate have been ongoing for years, and despite claims to the contrary discussed in new research, the industry is not part of the solution to rebalance our rapidly warming planet.

What is happening?

Oil and gas corporations are touting their role in solving the climate crisis, but a federal investigation and whistleblowers indicate it’s all for show. Vox reported with Perforado.

The problems include misleading information about the overall benefits of carbon capture and storage, as well as enhanced oil recovery, which are marketed as solutions and even ways to lead the United States’ efforts to reduce heat-trapping pollution.

The report noted that carbon capture and storage, or CCS, will account for up to just 2.4% of carbon mitigation by 2030, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changeand it can be expensive.

Still, in comments on videos it funded for children about CCS, ExxonMobil told creators to “deemphasize the concept that capturing carbon is hard or difficult,” according to Vox.

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR), in which carbon dioxide is injected underground so more oil can be extracted, has become another source of income for washing companies after industry lobbying, and only part of the carbon it sequesters stays sequestered, according to the report.

Instead, more pollution is produced when extracted oil is burned. Additionally, this method uses natural carbon 70% of the time instead of man-made carbon, according to the report, and oil companies can now get $85 per metric ton (about 1.1 US ton) in a tax credit. for carbon capture instead of $10 per ton sequestered for initial payments in 2008.

Pipelines used to transport and store carbon are also incredibly dangerous, according to Drilled and Vox. No one seems to know how much carbon goes into them, how much escapes, or how much comes out. Once this came to a head it was during a mysterious leak of 2020 in Mississippi.

“These are not your grandmother’s pipelines,” said Environmental Health and Science Network Executive Director Carolyn Raffensperger in the Vox article. “They could be lethal. We talk about the death zone or a death zone around a CO2 pipeline. We don’t talk about that with oil and gas pipelines. These are especially dangerous and poorly regulated.”

Why is this important?

Much of the reporting was based on documents and information obtained by congressional representatives during a three-year investigation.

Oil companies stonewalled requests for information, providing heavily redacted documents when they waived something, and even sabotaged their own compliance. An Exxon employee said he submitted only “a truly random assortment of unimportant documents,” according to Vox.

Taken together, this (the polluting nature of the industry, with its knowledge of that damage and its misinformation operation to make it appear business can continue as usual, it is known as green wash. The linking of the CCS with the EOR and efforts to obtain greater profits without considering the consequences is particularly worrying.

In addition to Exxon, Chevron, BP and Shell are on the cusp of “peak oil” and declining production rates, and now “need EOR more than ever,” Drilled and Vox said of the polluting process. “By rebranding it as a climate solution and linking it to a tax credit, they not only made the process cheaper, but created a new source of revenue,” the report explains.

What is being done with the oil and gas industry?

Lawmakers and journalists have made efforts to hold these companies accountable. The report repeatedly returned to the idea that not drilling oil and gas in the first place is the best solution for the climate. This disinvestment, of course, is the last thing the industry wants.

You can help reduce dependency dirty energy and pollution by making even small changes. Opt for a induction stovean electric heat pumpeither community solar energy. cut your plastic consumptionand eat more plant based meals. We can pave the way to a cooler, safer future by working together.

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