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Exxon’s new data shows it pollutes as much as entire nation of Canada
By Kemol King
Kaieteur News – Just last week, ExxonMobil released its ‘Scope Three’ emissions data for 2019 – the first time the company has published such data, after coming under pressure from its investors. The numbers immediately give a very clear picture of why the company has hidden them for so long. Exxon’s Scope Three emissions are higher than any other Western oil company, according to data from Bloomberg. The emissions are more voluminous than many countries, and amounts to about the same as the entire nation of Canada.
If you are new to the terminology used when referring to emissions, there are three accepted categories of emissions for this kind of reporting by companies such as ExxonMobil: Scopes One, Two and Three.
In its report titled ‘ExxonMobil 2021 Energy and Carbon Summary,’ it is explained that Scope One emissions data generally covers the direct greenhouse gas emissions of ExxonMobil’s operations, while Scope Two data tells investors and the public of the indirect greenhouse gas emissions from energy purchased by the company to power its operations. Scope Three data refers to the company’s indirect greenhouse gas emissions derived from use of its fuel and other products.
The sale of petroleum products by Exxon for 2019 was equivalent to 730 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Royal Dutch Shell comes in second with 694 million metric tons, with Total, Chevron, BP and ENI following behind with 416 million, 413 million, 357 million and 255 million respectively.
When those numbers are compared to countries, it shows ExxonMobil’s Scope Three emissions to be as much as a developed country. According to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada emitted a little over 729 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018. Australia emitted 558 million metric tons, while France, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom emitted 452 million, 334 million, 520 million, and 465 million respectively.
ExxonMobil is beaten out by the more powerful, populous countries like Germany, Japan and the United States, which emitted 858 million, 1.24 billion and 6.68 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide respectively.
Exxon prefers to focus on Scope One and Two. It has taken the position that Scope Three emissions do not represent its efforts to protect the environment fairly. That may be because the company has not announced any targets to reduce its Scope Three emissions. It is of the conviction that meaningful Scope Three emissions reductions would be driven ultimately by changes in society’s energy use and the development of more affordable low-emission technologies.
Meanwhile, Exxon’s rivals have set targets to reduce their Scope Three emissions, reported Bloomberg. Shell, for example, plans to reduce its Scope Three emissions by around 30 percent by 2035 and 65 percent by 2050.
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