Tag: Exxon Mobil

Making progress on methane

Making progress on methane

Natalie Wasek

The United Nations Climate Summit (COP28), which took place in Dubai, recently ended with a monumental report that still falls short of necessary progress. World leaders, climate experts, at least 1,300 fossil fuel lobbyists, and one CEO of a large fossil fuel company attended the meetings. ExxonMobil CEO, Robert Woods, attended COP28, marking the first time the CEO of a large fossil fuel company attended the meetings. And sure, while Woods said the conversations  “put way too much emphasis on getting rid of fossil fuels, oil and gas” and not enough on “dealing with the emissions associated with them,” he at least was still part of the discussions. 

The long-awaited and contested COP report recognizes the need for a transition “away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.”

For the first time fossil fuels were explicitly discussed and named as a cause to the climate crisis. While the report’s vague language requires more work to ensure its potential, Mindy Lubber, CEO of Ceres, sums it up nicely: 

The agreement comes at an urgent moment. Extreme weather and other climate-related catastrophes are already causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage each year. The world is at severe risk of far greater challenges as we are on track to miss the 2030 goals of the Paris Agreement and achieve a zero emissions economy in time to prevent catastrophic climate change. At the same time, governments, businesses, and investors have a monumental opportunity to invest in secure, affordable, and reliable clean energy technology that brings enormous economic benefits and job growth.

In addition to the climate talks at COP, other commitments concerning Methane Emissions recently showed some progress. 

Methane, a highly potent climate pollutant, that is responsible for approximately one-third of current warming resulting from human activities. While ExxonMobil, the world’s second largest oil refiner, reported making great progress on its methane emissions reduction, the company was only doing so with estimated emissions, not direct measurements. Without measured data, studies have shown that companies may misallocate capital to less impactful and less cost-effective mitigation opportunities.

Immediately before COP 28 ExxonMobil, announced that it was joining OGMP 2.0, the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership. This came as shocking and exciting news after last proxy season. The Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque, along with co-filers Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, Congregation des Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jesus et de Marie, and Dana Investment Advisors filed a resolution at ExxonMobil asking the company to issue a report analyzing the reliability of its methane emission disclosures. While ExxonMobil’s opposition to the resolution highlighted their participation in OGCI, Global Methane Partnership, and legal hurdles, the resolution garnered an impressive 36% vote. 

This announcement of Exxon joining OGMP 2.0 is a huge step forward because under OGMP reporting, better-quality emissions data allows operators to accurately understand and characterize methane emissions from their assets, informing a more effective mitigation strategy. 

In addition to ExxonMobil and others joining OGMP in the past few weeks, the EPA released its new methane standards which should help reduce methane emissions. EDF reported on the new rules and how they will help OGMP members comply. There’s been other methane regulation advancements in the EU, China, Australia, and Canada as well. 

The COP agreement, Methane regulation, and hopefully new SEC climate disclosure rules in 2024, there is a lot of forward momentum in the climate world. What is needed now is continued corporate action and more climate policy nationally and internationally. 

SGI members are continuing engagement on climate crisis issues such as GHG emissions, methane, the Just Transition, science based targets and climate transition action plans, as well as climate lobbying. 

There’s still much more work to be done. Next year’s COP is planned to be held in Azerbaijan, one of the birthplaces of the oil industry.

What’s all the Fuss about Exxon Mobil and Investors lately?

What’s all the Fuss about Exxon Mobil and Investors lately?

Chris Cox

By Sr. Barbara Jennings, CSJ

On May 26, 2021, a little known investment company called Engine No. 1 challenged and won a proxy battle with one of the world’s largest public oil and gas companies, Exxon Mobil.  Three of Engine No. 1’s four proposed Board Members who have qualified energy industry experience were elected to the board. They will challenge company management to transform their business model for a low carbon economy, which will benefit all stakeholders including workers and shareholders alike. 

Shareholder elected Greg Goff, former CEO of Andeavor and EVP of Marathon Petroleum who thinks that mitigating climate change is part of corporate responsibility; Kaisa Hietala, a former VP of Finnish renewable energy company, Neste Oyi; and Alexander Karsner, a strategist at Alphabet, Inc.  These three candidates beat out three of Exxon Mobil’s current, reelected board members. 

Shareholders proposals co-filed by members of the Seventh Generation Interfaith also received majority votes at the Exxon Mobil AGM. Dana Investments, the Capuchins, and the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Central Province co-filed a proposal asking for a report on climate lobbying (64% vote). The Sisters of St. Agnes co-filed the proposal asking for broader lobbying disclosure (55% vote). The Dubuque Franciscan’s co-filed the separate chair proposal (22% vote). Members of SGI and ICCR also co-filed successful climate proposals at Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Phillips66. 

Members of ICCR have dialogued and filed shareholder resolutions at Exxon Mobil since the early 1990’s. The company always responded with platitudes about their amoeba studies for alternative fuels, but refused to set targets or goals.  What has changed?

Here are my educated guesses:

  1. The Time has come! Finally, extreme weather events and consistent calls from scientists have increased public awareness of climate change, although a decreasing percentage remain climate deniers. Climate Activists like Greta Thunberg are finally getting through to all of us, especially to young people.
  2. It is irrefutable that drilling, and burning petroleum produces is a major cause of climate change as well as of human rights abuses. The latest IPCC report removed any uncertainty: “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.” 
  3. There is growing popularity of ESG strategies. It has become easier to invest sustainably through many asset managers. Bloomberg projects ESG assets may hit $53 trillion by 2025, a third of global AUM.
  4. The International Energy Agency (IEA) Net Zero by 2050: a Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector report published shortly before the Exxon Mobil AGM called on governments and companies to stop investment in new fossil fuel supply projects or coal plants; no sales of new internal combustion engine passenger cars after 2035; and net-zero emissions in the global electricity sector by 2040.
  5. Pope Francis continues to remind us to care for our common home. The Vatican released 14 recommended actions in June 2020, including ‘ethical responsible and integral criteria for investment decision making.” The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development urges that Church divestment from fossil fuels and reinvestment in renewables is a moral imperative.
  6. The U. S. Catholic Bishops are reviewing their Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines for the first time in 20 years. Bishop Gregory Parkes, USCCB Treasurer, who worked in the banking industry before entering the priesthood, is seeing the “financial writing on the wall” for fossil fuel companies who will not or cannot diversify. 
  7. A U. S. House subcommittee is “demanding that Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron testify before Congress about the industry’s decades-long effort to wage disinformation campaigns around climate change.” (St. Louis PostDispach, July 3, 2021 and New York Times, June 16, 2021) 

The majority votes at Exxon Mobile indicate a tipping point in pushing fossil fuel companies to transition to low-carbon business models. SGI and ICCR members have persisted and led the way with corporate engagements…and are continuing to see success.