New report shows just 100 companies are source of over 70% of emissions

Groundbreaking ‘Carbon Majors’ research finds 100 active fossil fuel producers including ExxonMobil, Shell, BHP Billiton and Gazprom are linked to 71% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions since 1988.

  • Carbon Majors Database is the most comprehensive dataset of historic company greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ever compiled;
  • 100 active fossil fuel producers are linked to 71% of global industrial greenhouse gases (GHGs) since 1988, the year in which human-induced climate change was officially recognized through the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC);
  • Almost a third (32%) of historic emissions come from publicly listed investor-owned companies, 59% from state-owned companies, and 9% from private investment;
  • Over half of global industrial emissions since 1988 can be traced to just 25 corporate and state producers;
  • Fossil fuel companies and their products have released more emissions in the last 28 years than in the 237 years prior to 1988;
  • Over half (52%) of all global industrial GHGs emitted since the start of the industrial revolution in 1751, have been traced to these 100 fossil fuel producers;

Trump’s ‘America First’ Policy Proves to Be an Immovable Object at G-20

If anything, Mr. Trump’s two forays overseas have shown that some leaders are bending toward his positions, not the reverse.

The statement, for example, carried language about America helping other countries use “fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently.” A European Union official conceded the reference to “these kind of energy sources is not something we like.”

But the White House liked it. Trump officials cast the wording as a victory for a president who still sees a place for oil and gas drilling.

.. When the subject of trade came up a few months ago at a meeting of finance officials from the 20 leading countries, “it was kind of 19-1—me being the one,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin recalled.

.. Mr. Trump used the three-day trip to deliver the clearest vision he’s offered to date of his world view: a commitment to preserving western civilization.

.. “The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive,” Mr. Trump said. “Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders?”

..  “I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I’ve already given my opinion…..,” Mr. Trump tweeted Sunday morning. “We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!”

 

When Will Electric Cars Go Mainstream? It May Be Sooner Than You Think

Between 2025 and 2030, the group predicts, plug-in vehicles will become cost competitive with traditional petroleum-powered cars, even without subsidies, and even before taking fuel savings into account. Once that happens, mass adoption should quickly follow.

.. Exxon Mobil, which is studying the threat that electric cars could pose to its business model, still expects that plug-in vehicle sales will grow slowly, to just 10 percent of new sales in the United States by 2040, with little impact on global oil use. The federal Energy Information Administration projects a similarly sluggish uptake.

.. The Bloomberg forecast is far more aggressive, projecting that plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles will make up 54 percent of new light-duty sales globally by 2040

.. Since 2010, the average cost of lithium-ion battery packs has plunged by more than one third, to around $300 per kilowatt-hour. The Bloomberg report sees that falling to $73 by 2030 without any significant technological breakthroughs, as companies like Tesla increase battery production in massive factories, optimize the design of battery packs and improve chemistries.

.. Charging infrastructure is another potential barrier. Although cities are starting to build thousands of public charging stations — and Tesla is working on reducing the time it takes to power a depleted battery — it still takes longer to charge an electric vehicle than it does to refuel a conventional car at the pump.

.. Many owners charge their cars overnight in their garages, but that is much harder for people living in cities who park their cars on the street.

As a result, the Bloomberg report warns that plug-in vehicles may have a difficult time making inroads in dense urban areas, and that infrastructure bottlenecks may slow the growth of electric vehicles after 2040.

.. Car dealerships also remain reluctant to display and sell electric models, which often require less maintenance and are less profitable for their service departments. Surveys have found that salespeople are often unprepared to pitch the cars.

.. The International Energy Agency has estimated that electric vehicles would have to account for at least 40 percent of passenger vehicle sales by 2040 for the world to have a chance of meeting the climate goals outlined in the Paris agreement, keeping total global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.