The concerns of “warming planet” activists, traditional conservatives, engineers, major oil companies, and investors have some overlapping areas.
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| Overlapping concerns |
Addressing some 40 participants in a Vatican conference dedicated to “Energy Transition and Care for our Common Home”, Pope Francis said “civilization requires energy but energy use must not destroy civilization".
The two-day conference that wrapped up on Saturday, was promoted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in collaboration with Notre Dame University.
It saw the participation of senior executives of leading oil and gas companies including ExxonMobil, Eni, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Equinor and Pemex.
In his speech, the Pope told them that climate change was a challenge of "epochal proportions” and said that the world needs to come up with an energy mix that combats pollution, eliminates poverty and promotes social justice....1
Conservative principles and carbon tax objectives have some common goals.
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| Conservatives and carbon tax |
Walt Williams reports that Royal Dutch Shell has withdrawn from American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers because of the association’s opposition to policies combating climate change.
The oil industry giant told the newspaper it was at odds with AFPM’s stances on the Paris climate agreement, carbon pricing, fuel mandates and the reduction of methane emissions. However, Shell will remain a member of the American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce despite both group’s opposition to many environmental policies, saying there is “some alignment” between its views on climate policy and their views.
Shell recently reviewed its relationships with 19 trade groups in relation to a company policy of linking executive pay to success in reducing the company’s carbon footprint by 2 to 3 percent over the next three years. The company has been the most vocal proponent in the oil industry of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Post reported. http://tinyurl.com/y3cohwqv 2
Ron Bousso of Reuters writes that Royal Dutch Shell on Tuesday became the first major oil and gas company to announce plans to leave a leading U.S. refining lobby due to disagreement on climate policies.
In its first review of its association with 19 key industry groups, the company said it had found “material misalignment” over climate policy with the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and would quit the body in 2020.The review is part of Shell’s drive to increase transparency and show investors it is in line with the 2015 Paris climate agreement’s goals to limit global warming by reducing carbon emissions to a net zero by the end of the century.
It is also the latest sign of how investor pressure on oil companies is leading to changes in their behavior around climate.3
Danny Crichton comments on the thread that binds the 737 MAX, FB data leaks, PG&E grid fires, and VW's emissions in an article on the demise and rebirth of the ethical engineer.
There is a more fundamental thread that binds these disparate and heinous stories together: the increasingly noxious alchemy of complexity and capitalism. Only through a rejuvenation of safety culture can we hope to mend the pair4
The motivators of care for the planet we are passing to our grandchildren, a desire to work toward the Paris climate agreement goals, longer range return on investment, and the protection that a culture of safety provides against catastrophic engineering failures and areas of common ground for progress on care for the planet and its people.
References
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(2018, June 9). Pope urges top oil executives to convert to clean fuel - Vatican News. Retrieved June 12, 2018, from https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-06/pope-oil-gas-executives-vatican-conference-energy-transition.html
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(n.d.). CEO DATELINE – Shell leaves oil industry association over climate .... Retrieved May 1, 2019, from https://www.ceoupdate.com/articles/ceo-dateline-%E2%80%93-shell-leaves-oil-industry-association-over-climate-policy
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(2019, April 2). UPDATE 4-Shell to quit U.S. refining lobby over climate disagreement. Retrieved May 1, 2019, from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/02/reuters-america-update-4-shell-to-quit-u-s-refining-lobby-over-climate-disagreement.html
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(2019, April 28). The demise and rebirth of the ethical engineer | TechCrunch. Retrieved May 1, 2019, from https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/28/the-demise-and-rebirth-of-the-ethical-engineer/
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