carbon producers’ tar pit: dinosaurs beware · 2017. 12. 11. · carbon producers’ tar pit:...

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Carbon producers’ tar pit: dinosaurs beware The path to holding fossil fuel producers accountable for climate change & climate damages Institute for New Economic Thinking: Plenary Conference in Edinburgh Richard Heede Climate Accountability Institute 17 October 2017 Joel Pett, Lexington Herald-Leader, © Cartoonist Group. Abstract. The project to quantify the contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane arising from the operational emissions of fossil fuel company supply chains and the sale of carbon fuels to consumers began with an analysis of John Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company from 1882 to 2002 under the aegis of the Climate Justice Programme. The report, and the modeling of ExxonMobil’s contribution to temperature change and sea level rise, was published by Friends of the Earth UK in 2005. This paper traces the evolution of the project, its methods and results, the milestones, and the reactions of industry and government up to the recent publication of an attribution study in Climatic Change, corporate accountability for climate change (and from which year does the clock on accountability start?), industry climate denial efforts, their moral obligation to lead on decarbonizing the world economy, potential litigation risks for climate damages and reparations, and lawsuits filed by citizens, counties, and cities in California and elsewhere. Introduction It is broadly accepted that anthropogenic climate change presents a serious threat to the health, prosperity, and stability of human communities, and to the stability and existence of non-human species and ecosystems. The international legal framework established in 1992 to prevent “dangerous anthropogenic interference” with the climate system has focused attention on the role of nation-states, and led to the Paris Accord in 2015 with commitments by 197 nation-states to cut their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in alignment with not exceeding 2°C of global warming and an “aspirational” target of “well below” 2°C. Current climate change is primarily driven by historic emissions (Allen et al. 2009, Matthews et al. 2009; Wei et al. 2012; IPCC 2013), and the developed states with the largest attributed historic emissions have assumed primary responsibility for taking the lead in reducing global emissions. The rationale for attributing responsibility for global climate change was embodied in the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, in which the “Parties should protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of humankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Accordingly, the developed country Parties should take the lead in combating climate change and the adverse effects thereof.” (my emphasis.)

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Page 1: Carbon producers’ tar pit: dinosaurs beware · 2017. 12. 11. · Carbon producers’ tar pit: dinosaurs beware The path to holding fossil fuel producers accountable for climate

Carbonproducers’tarpit:dinosaursbewareThepathtoholdingfossilfuelproducersaccountableforclimatechange&climatedamages

InstituteforNewEconomicThinking:PlenaryConferenceinEdinburghRichardHeede

ClimateAccountabilityInstitute17October2017

JoelPett,LexingtonHerald-Leader,©CartoonistGroup.

Abstract.TheprojecttoquantifythecontributiontoatmosphericcarbondioxideandmethanearisingfromtheoperationalemissionsoffossilfuelcompanysupplychainsandthesaleofcarbonfuelstoconsumersbeganwithananalysisofJohnRockefeller’sStandardOilCompanyfrom1882to2002undertheaegisoftheClimateJusticeProgramme.Thereport,andthemodelingofExxonMobil’scontributiontotemperaturechangeandsealevelrise,waspublishedbyFriendsoftheEarthUKin2005.Thispapertracestheevolutionoftheproject,itsmethodsandresults,themilestones,andthereactionsofindustryandgovernmentuptotherecentpublicationofanattributionstudyinClimaticChange,corporateaccountabilityforclimatechange(andfromwhichyeardoestheclockonaccountabilitystart?),industryclimatedenialefforts,theirmoralobligationtoleadondecarbonizingtheworldeconomy,potentiallitigationrisksforclimatedamagesandreparations,andlawsuitsfiledbycitizens,counties,andcitiesinCaliforniaandelsewhere.

IntroductionItisbroadlyacceptedthatanthropogenicclimatechangepresentsaseriousthreattothehealth,prosperity,andstabilityofhumancommunities,andtothestabilityandexistenceofnon-humanspeciesandecosystems.Theinternationallegalframeworkestablishedin1992toprevent“dangerousanthropogenicinterference”withtheclimatesystemhasfocusedattentionontheroleofnation-states,andledtotheParisAccordin2015withcommitmentsby197nation-statestocuttheirgreenhousegas(GHG)emissionsinalignmentwithnotexceeding2°Cofglobalwarmingandan“aspirational”targetof“wellbelow”2°C.Currentclimatechangeisprimarilydrivenbyhistoricemissions(Allenetal.2009,Matthewsetal.2009;Weietal.2012;IPCC2013),andthedevelopedstateswiththelargestattributedhistoricemissionshaveassumedprimaryresponsibilityfortakingtheleadinreducingglobalemissions.Therationaleforattributingresponsibilityforglobalclimatechangewasembodiedinthe1992UNFrameworkConventiononClimateChange,inwhichthe“Partiesshouldprotecttheclimatesystemforthebenefitofpresentandfuturegenerationsofhumankind,onthebasisofequityandinaccordancewiththeircommonbutdifferentiatedresponsibilitiesandrespectivecapabilities.Accordingly,thedevelopedcountryPartiesshouldtaketheleadincombatingclimatechangeandtheadverseeffectsthereof.”(myemphasis.)

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Richard Heede Climate Accountability Institute 1626 Gateway Road, Snowmass, [email protected] www.climateaccountability.org Colorado, 81654, USA 970-343-0707

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Theburdensandresponsibilitiesarelainatthefootstepsoftherichestnationswiththelargesthistoricalcarbonfootprint.TheUnitedStateshascontributed25%ofglobalCO2since1800,andthusbearsthelargestobligationtolead.(China,theculpritusuallychastisedbyCongressionalclimatedenialists,isresponsiblefor11%ofhistoricemissions.)TheParisAccordwillprosperundersanerleadershipthanPresidentTrump’santi-scienceandanti-regulatoryadministration,asevidencedby“WeAreStillIn”commitmentsbythousandsofcompanies,universities,states,andcitiesacrosstheU.S.andtheshiftfromcoaltonaturalgasandrenewablesforelectricitygeneration.

U.S.withdrawalfromtheParisAccordandthedearthofpositivepolicyinitiativesaftersignificantprogressundertheObamaadministrationopenstheprospectforsolutionsfromotherquarters.WhiletheretrogradepolicyvacuumdominatesintheUnitedStates,thealternativepathwaystoleverageactionbytheelephantsintheroom—thefossilfuelcompanies—existaroundtheworld.

Thereisanotherwayoflookingathistoricalobligations:theculpabilityofcorporationsthatextractedthefossilfuels,refinedthemintomarketablefuels,anddistributedtheirproductstoconsumersineverynationonearth.Whyattributeresponsibilityoncompaniesthat,intheirownwords,providematerialsinhighdemandandthatfuelsocialandeconomicprogress?Becausethesecompanieshaveamoralandlegalobligationtowarnconsumersandsocietyiftheirproductsaredefectiveordangerous.Theyoperatewithat-risksocialoperatinglicenses,andmotivatedtoburnishtheirbrands.Investorsincreasinglydemandcompliancewithglobalclimatetargetsandtransparencyfromcompanieswithrespecttoclimateperformanceandpotentialstrandedassets.

Forexample,ExxonMobil’sownscientisthaveknownsincethe1970sthatincreasedfossilfuelusewoulddestabilizetheclimateandimperilthecompany’sfutureproductionofoilandnaturalgas.Exxon’smanagementwasmadeawareofthesefindings,butinsteadoftransparencythecompanyfundedcampaignstosowdoubtaboutclimatescience,defeatclimatelegislation,delayactiononclimate,andpublishedaseriesof“advertorials”intendedtomisleadthepublic(Supran&Oreskes,NewYorkTimes;seealsoClimateDeceptionDossiers(UnionofConcernedScientists),andSmoke&Fumes(CenterforInternationalEnvironmentalLaw).ExxonMobilwasnotaloneinbeingawareofthethreatofclimatechangefromcontinueduseoffossilfuels(Banerjeeetal.2016).PresidentJohnsonwarnedinamessagetoCongressin1965that“thisgenerationhasalteredthecompositionoftheatmosphereonaglobalscalethrough...asteadyincreaseincarbondioxidefromtheburningoffossilfuels.”(PSAC1965,Oreskes&Conway2010).Tradeassociationsandindustry-fundednon-profitssuchastheAmericanPetroleumInstitute,theGlobalClimateCoalition,andtheGreenEarthSocietychallengedtheemergingconsensusonclimatechangeandarguedforthebenefitsofglobalwarmingoncropsandwarmerwinters.SuchnonsenseisstillarguedintheUnitedStatesbyprominentadvisorstotheTrumpAdministrationandbymembersofCongress.

Considerablewealthhasaccumulatedtocompaniesthatproducethefuelssoldontheinternationalmarket.Forthisreason,thepresentanalysisfocusesontheworld'slargestinvestor-ownedandstate-ownedcarbonproducers,whethersituatedinAnnexIornon-AnnexInations,andinvitesconsiderationofthesuggestionthatsomedegreeofresponsibilityforbothcauseandremedyforclimatechangerestswiththoseentitiesthathaveextracted,refined,andmarketedthepreponderanceofthehistoriccarbonfuels.

Thequestionforaresponsiblecompanywasthen,asitisnow,howtoavoidcatastrophicclimatechangeandreducethecompany’sliabilityfordamages.Noneofthemajordomesticorinternationalfossilfuelcompaniestookmeaningfulstepstoavertthetrain-wreckwearenowthevictimsof:multiplehurricanesravagingtheCaribbeanandGulfofMexico,torrentialrainandfloodsinIndia,PuertoRico,andHouston,destructivewildfires,deadlyheat-wavesinEuropeandAsia,andworsetocome—forcenturies.Useoffossilfuelsintensifiesstormsandthelossoflifeandtreasure(Mann2017).Whilehumanactivitiesexacerbateratherthancausestorms,itistime,asMITatmosphericscientistKerryEmanuelsaidrecently,to“stopcallingthesehurricanedisasters'natural.’”

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Richard Heede Climate Accountability Institute 1626 Gateway Road, Snowmass, [email protected] www.climateaccountability.org Colorado, 81654, USA 970-343-0707

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Itisnotsimplynationsandconsumersthatareresponsibleforclimaticchangesandtheensuingdamagestonature,wealth,andsecurity,butthefossilfuelproducers,too.

LegacyresponsibilitiesIfirstgotcuriousin2003abouttheproportionofatmosphericcarbondioxidethatisattributabletotheworld’slargestoil,naturalgas,andcoalcompaniesandthecarbonfuelstheyproduced.MyresearchwasfundedbytheClimateJusticeProgramme(CJP,thenbasedinLondon)andIfocusedonthehistoryofoilandgasproductionandthequantificationofattributableemissionsofasingleoilandgasfirm—StandardOiltoExxonMobilfrom1882to2002.Idevelopedamethodologyforestimatingdirectoperationalemissionsofcarbondioxideandmethanefromthesupplychain—fromexplorationandprocessingtofinishedcarbonfuelproducts—and,mostimportantly,ofemissionsfromthecarbonfuelsusedasintendedbythecompany’sworldwidecustomers.MyresultswerefedintoasimpleclimatemodelandsummarizedinExxon'sClimateFootprint:thecontributionofExxon-Mobiltoclimatechangesince1882(FriendsoftheEarthInternational2004).

CorporationsascribetotheguidanceintheGreenhouseGasProtocol(WRI2004)regardingtheiraccountingandmitigationboundary—typicallydirect(scope1:fromfuelusedinownedorleasedbuildings,facilities,vehicles,andaircraft)andindirect(scope2:frompurchasedelectricityandsteam)operationalemissionsofgreenhousegases.Thesearethesourcesmostcompaniescommittoinventoryand,tovaryingdegrees,committoreduceoroffset.Notsowithproduct-relatedemissions,however,whichistheunderlyingobjectiveofthesetofanalysesbegunin2003:toidentifythelargestproducersoffossilfuelsandtoquantifydirectoperationalandproduct-relatedemissionsfromextractedandmarketedcarbonfuelsbythesesamecompaniesbyfuelandbyyear.Wehavethusquantifiedtheclimatelegacyofthesecompaniesfromtheirinceptiontothepresent.

CJPsubsequentlyfundedanexpansionoftheprojecttotracehalformoreofhistoricalindustrialCO2emissionstotheprimarycarbonproducers,asdiscussedbelow.Thisexpandedscoperequiredgatheringproductiondataforseveraldozencompaniesovermanydecades,andwasintermittentlyfundedfrom2004totheproject’scompletionin2013,withafinalroundoffundingbyGreenpeaceInternationalandCJP.Athoroughpeerreviewconfirmedtherobustnessofthemethodology,whichisessentialforstandinguptoindustryscrutiny,publiccredibility,andlegalstanding.

MethodologyFortractability,athresholdof8milliontonnescarbonperyear(MtC/y)forfossilfuelproductionwasestablished.1Thisresultedintheidentificationof90entities:50investor-ownedcompanies,31state-ownedenterprises,and9currentorformercentrallyplannedstates.Ofthese90entities56arecrudeoilandnaturalgasproducers,37arecoalextractors(includingsubsidiariesofoil&gascompanies),and6arecementproducers.Headquarteredin43countries,theseentitiesextractresourcesfromeveryoil,naturalgas,andcoalprovinceintheworld,andprocessthefuelsintomarketableproductsthataresoldtoconsumersineverynationonEarth.

CompanyproductionrecordswereretrievedfrompubliclyavailableannualreportsfromuniversityandpubliclibrarycollectionsinEurope,NorthAmerica,Africa,andAsia,fromcompanywebsites,companyreportsfiledwiththeU.S.SecuritiesandExchangeCommission,companyhistories,andothersources.Thecarboncontentofeachentity'sannualproductionofcoal,oil,naturalgasliquids,andnaturalgas—typicallyreportedinphysicalunits(coalinMt,oilinMb,andgasinBcf)—wascalculatedusingIPCC,UnitedNations,InternationalEnergyAgency(IEA),andU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)carbonfactorstoquantifytheannualemissionstraceabletoeachentity.Historicallycompleterecordsweresoughtfromtheearliestavailable(theearliestisfrom1854)through2010.Wheremergersoracquisitionsoccurred,carbonproductionandemissionspriorto18MtCisequivalenttothecarboncontentof69millionbbl(Mb)ofoilor13.8Mtthermalcoal.

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Richard Heede Climate Accountability Institute 1626 Gateway Road, Snowmass, [email protected] www.climateaccountability.org Colorado, 81654, USA 970-343-0707

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thedateofacquisitionareattributedtotheextantcompany.WeincludedsixlargecementcompaniesfortheirliberationofCO2fromcalciningoflimestoneCaCO3intocementitiousproducts.

Themethodologydeductsforthenon-energyusesofliquids,gases,andcoal(subtracting~8%ofliquidsproductionforpetrochemicals,roadoil,lubricants,etc.),whileaccountingforshort-termemissiontotheatmosphereofincineratedplastics(~40Mt/y),oxidationoflubricants,andsoforth.

Table1.Combustionemissionsfactors. Carbon CarbondioxideEnergysource tC/unit tCO2/unitCrudeoil&NGLs 101.4kgC/bbl 371.4kgCO2/bblNaturalgas 14.6kgC/kcf 53.4kgCO2/kcfLignite 328.4kgC/tonne 1,203.5kgCO2/tSubbituminous 495.2kgC/t 1,814.4kgCO2/tBituminous 665.6kgC/t 2,439.0kgCO2/tAnthracite 715.6kgC/t 2,621.9kgCO2/t“Metallurgicalcoal” 727.6kgC/t 2,665.9kgCO2/t“Thermalcoal” 581.1kgC/t 2,129.3kgCO2/t

Crudeoil:priortonon-energydeduction&adjustmentforNGLs:115.7kgC/bbl,423.8kgCO2/bbl;Gas:priortonon-energydeduction:14.86kgC/kcf,or54.44kgCO2/kcf;(kcf=thousandcubicfeet).

Directoperationalemissions—whichcomprise~10%ofoilandgasand~8%ofcoalcompanytotalattributedemissions—include:

• CO2fromflaring(ofrawgasassociatedwithoilwells,safetyflaresondrillingplatforms);• CO2ventedfromnaturalgasprocessingplants(CO2entrainedinrawgasandvented);• CO2fromacompany’suseofownfuelinrefineries,processingplants,compressorstations,

vehicles,trucks,aircraft,drillrigs,offshoreplatforms,ships,andmiscellaneousequipment;• Fugitiveandventedmethanefromwellheads,gasprocessingplants,valves&seals,storage

tanks,refineries,distributioninfrastructure,andtensofthousandsofpointsbetweenthewellandthecompanygates;

• Ventedmethanefromcoalminingoperationsandcoalmines,typicallyventedforsafetyreasons,andseldomcapturedandutilizedorflared.

Themethodology,thepeer-reviewprocess,andconservatismsadoptedfortheCarbonMajorsaccountingprotocolisdiscussedintheSupplementaryMaterialstoHeede2014,andHeede2013.

ResultsofCarbonMajorsstudy(2014)The2014analysisdocumentedatotalof914billiontonnesofCO2-equivalent(GtCO2e)tracedto90internationalentitiesbasedonhistoricalproductionrecordsdatingfrom1854to2010.Theseentitiescumulativelyproduced985billionbarrels(Gb)ofcrudeoilandNGLs(79Gbwerefornon-energyuses),2,248trillioncubicfeet(Tcf),and163billiontonnes(Gt)ofvariousranksofcoal.Theemissionstracedtothecarbonmajorsrepresented63percentofglobalindustrialCO2andmethanefromfossilfuelcombustionandcementbetween1751and2010.AttributedemissionsfromcrudeoilandNGLstotaled366GtCO2from55entitiesrepresenting77percentoftheglobalestimateofoil&NGLemissionssincepetroleumproductionbegan(Boden,Andres,&Marland/CDIAC2017).Intable2wecompareeachentity’shistoricalproduct-relatedandoperationalemissionstoglobalfossilfuelandcementemissionsintheCDIACdatabaseofindustrialCO2&CH4emissionsincolumn“percentofglobal1751-2013.”InFigures1,2,and3andTable2areupdatedresultsto2013productionandattributedemissions(Heede2014b,LimaPeru).TheoriginalCarbonMajorsquantificationandattributionwasupdatedbyCAIandCDPin2017(Griffin2017,Griffinetal.2017,Magill2017)to2015productionandemissionsdata,withslightmodificationstothemethodology.

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Figure1.GlobalandCarbonMajorentities’CO2emissions,1810-2013.

GlobalfossilfuelandcementemissionsofCO2fromCDIAC(blackline).

ResultsofallCarbonMajorentities’emissionsofCO2andmethane(redline).

Table2.Cumulativeemissionsattributedtomajorfossilfuel&cementproducers,1854-2013,Top20IOC&SOE Product- Flaring,ownfuel, Fugitive Total Percent relatedCO2 ventedCO2 methane emissions ofglobal Entity MtCO2 MtCO2 MtCO2e MtCO2e 1751-20131. ChevronTexaco,USA 47,312 1,505 3,430 52,247 3.34%2. SaudiAramco,SaudiArabia 47,786 1,171 2,488 51,445 3.29%3. ExxonMobil,USA 43,239 1,603 3,714 48,557 3.10%4. BP,UK 33,761 1,064 2,426 37,251 2.38%5. Gazprom,RussianFederation 28,518 2,343 5,539 36,400 2.33%6. RoyalDutchShell,TheNetherlands 28,802 1,041 2,327 32,171 2.06%7. NationalIranianOilCompany 28,935 856 1,867 31,658 2.02%8. Pemex,Mexico 19,700 643 1,420 21,762 1.39%9. CoalIndia 16,677 0 1,413 18,090 1.16%10. ConocoPhillips,USA 15,300 687 1,566 17,553 1.12%11. PeabodyEnergy,USA 12,785 0 1,083 13,869 0.89%12. PetroleosdeVenezuela 12,640 356 771 13,767 0.88%13. TotalSA,France 11,633 389 862 12,884 0.83%14. PetroChina,China 11,103 336 736 12,175 0.78%15. KuwaitPetroleumCorp. 10,917 252 531 11,700 0.75%16. AbuDhabi 10,163 310 678 11,151 0.71%17. Sonatrach,Algeria 8,882 442 1,015 10,340 0.66%18. CONSOLEnergy,USA 8,519 5 729 9,254 0.59%19. BHPBilliton,Australia 7,908 69 672 8,649 0.55%20. IraqNationalOilCompany 7,436 158 327 7,921 0.51%

Scope3:productemissions;Scope1:directoperationalemissions(flaring,vented,fugitive,etc.).Heede2014b.

GlobalCO2emissionsfromthecombustionoffossilfuelandcementmanufacturing(“industrialemissions”)arederivedfromthecomprehensiveCDIACdatabase(Bodenetal.)thatbeginswiththeemissionof~11MtCO2in1751fromcoalcombustioninearlysteamenginesandroseto36,265MtCO2in2015.TheninetyCarbonMajorsarecomparedtoglobalindustrialCO2inFigure1andTable2.NotethatwefocusonsharesofindustrialemissionsandexcludeothersourcesofCO2,methane,andtheothergreenhousegases,suchaslandfillmethaneornetforestrylosses.Figure2showstheemissionsofsixlargeoilandgascompanies1910-2013andtheshiftingdominanceoflargeinvestor-ownedcompaniesthroughtheearly1970sandtherisingshareofSaudiAramcoandotherOPECproducersinthe1970s(Russia/GazpromisnotanOPECmember).Legacyemissionsofthelargest20companiesareshowninpercentofglobal1751-2013inFig.3.

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Figure2.Topsixentities’CO2emissionsandmethane,1910-2013.

Figure3.Topsixentities’CO2emissionsandmethane,1910-2013.

Tothisobserveritisindisputablethateachentityhasmaterialresponsibilityforextractingandmarketingcarbonfuelsandisclearlyresponsibleforitsoperationalemissions.IcontendthesecompaniesalsohavesubstantialresponsibilityforemissionsofCO2fromitsgloballymarketedproducts.Inordertoestablishcausalresponsibilityforaproportionoftheclimatechangesandclimate-relateddamagesfromhumanemissionsofgreenhousegaseswemustfirstanalyzetheeffectsthatemissionstracedtoindividualcarbonproducershaveontheatmosphere.

WecollaboratedwithcolleaguesandscientistsatUnionofConcernedScientistsandUniversityofOxfordtomodeltheincreaseinatmosphericconcentrationofCO2andmethane(accountingforthecoolingeffectsofaerosolpollutionfromfossilfuels),theincreasedradiativeforcing,theriseinglobalmeansurfacetemperature,andtheriseinglobalsealevelsattributabletoeachcompany’sfossilfuelproductionbyyear.Ourteamcarefullydesignedthemodelingandanalysis,draftedthepaper,revisedtheapproachandthemodeluponreviewbyseveralpeers,andsubmittedthepaper

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tofurthercomprehensivepeerreviewsoveraperiodofnearlyfouryears.ThepaperwaspublishedinSeptemberofthisyearinClimaticChange(Ekwurzeletal.2017).

TheCarbonMajorspaper(Heede2014)accomplishedthe1stand2ndphasesofusingscientificallyvalidapproachestoapportioningreal-worldclimatedamagestocarbonproducers.InSeptemberwemadealeapforwardinholdingproducersproportionallyaccountable(Figure4).

Figure4.Sequenceofprojectmilestonesfromfossilfuelproductiontopotentialliability

Attributionstudy(2017)InSeptemberwepublishedananalysisattributingtoeachmajorcarbonproducertheincreaseinatmosphericCO2concentration(ppm)andradiativeforcingthatwoulddriveglobaltemperatureandsealevelrise,basedoneachcompany’shistoricalemissionsprofiledevelopedinHeede2014(Ekwurzeletal.2017).TheteamincludedclimatemodelersandscientistsfromUnionofConcernedScientists,UniversityofOxford,andClimateAccountabilityInstitute.

Figure5:ContributionofTop20CarbonMajorstoriseinCO2andtemperature,1980-2010

Ekwurzeletal.2017,Fig.2:1980-2010riseinCO2,1%=1.03ppm(b);meansurfacetemperature,1%=0.008°C(d)

Usingasimpleglobalenergy-balancecoupledclimate-carbon-cyclemodel(Millaretal.2016),weestimatedtheCO2concentration,surfacetemperature,andsealevelriseattributabletoemissionsofcarbondioxideandmethanetracedtoeachentity.Themodelissensitivetothetimingoftheattributedemissions,sincemethanedecaysintheatmosphere,aerosolemissionsleadtoshort-termcooling,carboncycling,andsoforth.Theteamselectedtwoperiodsoftimeforanalysisofclimateimpacts:thefirst(1880-2010)allowsforlong-termdataonanthropogenicemissions,CO2concentration,temperatureresponse,andsealevelrise;thesecond(1980-2010)coincideswithrisingawarenessoftheclimaterisksofcontinuedfossilfuelusefollowingthepublicationoftheseminalU.S.NationalResearchCouncilreportCarbonDioxideandClimate(NRC1979;discussioninFrumhoffetal.2015,andBanerjee2015).By1980,orearlier,2nocompanycanclaimtobeunawareoftherisksofbeinginthecarbonextractionbusinesswithoutfounderingonwillfulignorance.

2Arguablyearlierthan1979:considerthereporttotheWhiteHouse(President'sScienceAdvisoryCommittee,1965),ortheStanfordResearchInstitutereportpreparedforAmericanPetroleumInstitutein1968thatwarnedthatif“CO2levelscontinuetoriseatpresentrates,itislikelythatnoticeableincreasesintemperaturecouldoccur.”SvanteArrheniushad

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ThefocusoftheclimatemodelingsummarizedintheEkwurzelpaperisontheconsequencesofemissionstracedtotheninetymajorcarbonproducersfrom1980to2010.WeshowthatCO2concentration,globaltemperature,andsealevelriseattributabletothecarbonandmethanetracedtotheninetyCarbonMajorsaccountsfor0.28°C(35.1%oftotalGSMTincreaseof0.8°C)andtoglobalsealevelriseof5.7cmrisesince1880anda2.38cmriseforcarbonproductionsince1980.

Figure6:ContributionofTop20CarbonMajorstosealevelrise1880-2010and1980-2010

Ekwurzeletal.2017,Fig.2:historicalriseinglobalsealevel,1880-2010(e)and1980-2010(f),inpercent;1%=1.77mm.

Table3.TopTwelvecarbonmajors:CO2,ppmCO2,temperature,sealevelrise,&landloss,1980-2010 Emissions CO2concentration Temperature Sealevel Landloss Entity GtCO2 ppm °C mm km2SaudiAramco 36.6 3.23 0.0174 1.43 602Gazprom 27.2 2.16 0.0171 1.14 482ExxonMobil 18.7 2.78 0.0097 0.92 386NationalIranian 16.8 1.92 0.0083 0.62 261BP 16.2 2.19 0.0081 0.80 335Chevron 16.0 2.97 0.0081 0.88 370Pemex 15.7 1.37 0.0078 0.65 274RoyalDutchShell 13.4 1.87 0.0071 0.61 256CoalIndia 13.2 1.11 0.0065 0.47 200PetroleosdeVenezuela 13.1 1.12 0.0065 0.54 226PeabodyEnergy 9.0 0.86 0.0045 0.30 128ConocoPhillips 8.3 1.03 0.0043 0.38 158Subtotal 204.2 22.61 0.1054 8.73 3,678CarbonMajors,1980-2010 754.9 43.84 0.400 23.80 10,041Global,1880-20103 1,317.8 103.00 0.850 176.60 74,379

ThetwelvecompaniesinTable3whoseoperationalandproduct-relatedemissionssince1980havealreadyinundatedanestimated3,678km2oflandaroundtheworld’sshorelines(10,041km2ifallcarbonmajorsaretakenintoaccount)—mostly,ofcourse,inremoteandsparselypopulatedwarnedofglobalwarminginhispaper“ontheinfluenceofcarbonicacidintheairuponthetemperatureoftheground”in1896withuncannyaccuracyregardingthesensitivityofglobaltemperaturefromthedoublingofatmosphericCO2concentration(thoughwithscantappreciationofthefantasticalriseoffossilfueluseinthedecadesahead[from419MtCin1896to9,897MtCin2015;CDIAC]).CarrollMuffett,PresidentoftheCenterforInternationalEnvironmentalLaw(andaClimateAccountabilityInstituteboardmember)toldInsideClimateNewsthatfrom“aproductsliabilityperspective,thesedocumentsraisepotentialclaimsthatoilcompaniesfailedtowarnconsumersaboutapotentiallyseriousrisklinkedtotheirproducts.Oncethecompanieslearnedthisscience,theycan'tunlearnit.Everythingtheydidafterthisisdoneagainstthebackdropoftheinformationtheyhavefromatleastthe1950sonward.”(Banerjeeetal.2016).3Globaldatasources:increase1880-2010:98.6ppm(IPCC2013);themodelsimulationsyieldanincreaseof103ppm(EkwurzelFig1);meansurfacetemperature:bestfit~0.8°Cfor1880-2010,ofwhichallcarbonmajors0.4°C;sealevelrise:Kopp(2016reportsatwentieth-centuryGSLof12-15cm,“themodelsimulationforbestestimateparameterswithfullhistoricalforcingyieldsaGSLover1880to2010of∼18cm,”and“Removingtheannualemissionstracedto90majorcarbonproducersfromthebestestimatefullhistoricalforcingcaseshowsthatthecombustionoftheirproductsfrom1880to2010ledtoa5.7(±0.1)cmincreaseinGSL,32(±0.4)%ofthetotalanthropogeniccontributiontoincreasedGSL.Lessthanhalf(∼42%)ofthisisduetomajorcarbonproducer-tracedemissionsofrecentorigin.”Combustionoftheirproductsbetween1980and2010ledtoa2.38(±0.03)cmincrease,13.5(±0.2)%oftotalGSLincrease1880-2010.

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areas.4Yetvaluableprivateandcorporateassetsarethreatened(andrequiremitigation)aswellasnaturalshorelinesofecologicalvalue.OfthegloballandareasalreadyinundatedwithemissionsattributedtothetwelvecarbonmajorsinTable3from1980forward(3,678km2),1,549km2areinNorthAmericaand577km2inEurope(42%and16%ofgloballandloss).Incomparison,PuertoRico,recentlyravagedbyhurricanesIrmaandMaria,covers9,104km2,RhodeIsland2,707km2,Estonia45,336km2,andMonaco2km2.AmongthePacificislandnationsthreatenedwithclimaterefugeestatusfrominundationinthecomingdecades,Tuvaluis26km2,MarshallIslands181km2.

Whilethecontributionsofindividualcompaniesaresmall,whenitcomestothemostvisibleimpactofsealevelrise—estimatedashavingrisen18cminthetwentiethcentury—thesenumbersnonethelessrepresentstartlinglossoflandaroundtheworld’s356,000kmcoastline(CIA2016).5

Theoceancovers362millionkm2,thusa1mmSLRisequivalentto362billionm3or362km3ofseawater.Thecombinedsealevelriseattributedtosixoftheinvestor-ownedfossilfuelcompanies—Chevron,ExxonMobil,RoyalDutchShell,Peabody,BP,andConocoPhillips—isequivalenttothewaterflowingoverNiagaraFallsfor18years.6ToquoteUCS:“Thinkaboutthat.”

UnionofConcernedScientists.

Whataresuchlossesworthtoinjuredparties,whoshouldpay,andwillthefossilfuelindustrybeheldaccountableforanyproportionofdamages?

CarrollMuffett,PresidentoftheCenterforInternationalEnvironmentalLaw,commentedthat:“LiketheCarbonMajorsanalysisthatitbuildson,thisreportdemonstratesthegrowingprecisionwithwhichmajorcarbonproducers’responsibilityforclimatechangeandclimateimpactscanbequantified,allocated,and,ultimately,litigated.Governmentinvestigatorsandprivateattorneysaroundtheworldwillbeparsingthesefindingscarefully.Investorsanddecision-makerswouldbewell-advisedtodothesame.”

IndustryactionandreactionTheoilandgasindustry,thecoalindustry,andrelatedtradeassociationshavespentdecadesdeceivingthepublicandpolicymakersaboutclimatescienceforthepurposeofperpetuatingtheprofitabilityofthecarboneconomywithoutrestraint.Standardcorporatebehaviorinthefaceofconcernsoverproductssuchaslead,asbestos,DDT,tobacco,andcarbon(Oreskes&Conway2010).

4Thesearepreliminarycalculationsofestimatedlandlossattributedtoemissionstracedtomajorcarbonproducersasdiscussedabove.Ibasethecalculationsonadatabaseofgloballandinundationfromaprojected1-metersealevelrise,90-meterresolutionofcoastlines,andscaleddowntothe2.38-cmSLRinEkwurzeletal.paperfor1980-2010.IntheCIESINdatabase,globalSLRof1mequatesto421,174km2ofinundatedland(CenterforInternationalEarthScienceInformationNetwork,viewedOct2017),and1mmequatesto421km2,assumingthattheslopeofinundatedlandsisequaltotheslopeofprojectedSLR.SeeTable3forSLRattributedtoeachmajorcarbonproducer,1980-2010.AnyerrorsofinterpretationoruseoftheCIESINdataistheauthor’s.TheCIESINmodelalsohasuncertainties;seeMondal&Tatem.5Othersourcesestimatetheworld’sshorelinesat1.6millionkmattheresolutionrequiredtodiscernbays,islets,andfjords—inotherwords,real-worldcoastlines.Forexample,Norway’s“official”coastlineis25,148km,buthigherresolutionimagingshows83,281km(CIA2016),andnewresearchputsitat101,400km(Klinkenborg,2013).6Wikipediacitesanaverageflowrateof2,400m3/s,whichequalsanannualflowof74.8billionm3=74.8km3,and1,347km3over18years.Thesixcitedcompaniestotal3.88mmofSLRfrom1980-2010,whichconverts(362km3/mmSLR)to1,404km3.Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls.Seealsohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_River

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Companiesshiftedstrategyoncepublicacceptance,basedoncorporatedisinformation,hadtakenrootthatsciencewastoouncertainforlegislativeactiononclimate.Thepublicremainsdeeplyconfusedtothisday,thoughimproving(Leiserowitzetal.).Conservativesandclimatedeniersarequicktoraisethespectreofthecostsandemploymentconsequencesofclimateaction,regardlessoftheevidencethattacklingclimatechangegrowstheeconomyandemployment.Most,ifnotall,oilandgascompaniesmeasure,mitigate,andreportonemissionsofCO2andmethaneinannualsustainabilityreportsandtothirdpartiessuchasGRIorCDP.Mostcompanieshavemadesignificantprogressinreducingdirectandindirectoperationalemissions(WRIScope1andScope2sources)overthelastdecadeortwoFig.7a),althoughfewhavereducedthecarbonintensityoftheirsupplychains(Fig.7b)(Heede,forthcoming)—muchlessemissionsfromcarbonresourcesextracted,refined,anddeliveredtoconsumersworldwideasdiscussedabove(Fig.2&8).

Figure7a:Operationalemissions(scope1+2) Fig.7b:carbonintensities,kgCO2/boe

Amorethreateningreactionistoharassresearch,scientific,andadvocacyorganizations,eitherindirectly(throughBreitbartNewsorotherclimatedenialbloggers)ordirectly,withsubpoenas.ClimateAccountabilityInstitute,mepersonally,andanumberofourcolleaguesandfundershavebeenharassedbyinvestigationsandsubpoenasfromtheU.S.HouseofRepresentatives(CommitteeonScience,Space,andTechnology)byChairmanLamarSmith,aproudclimatedenier(Smith2017:“weareseeingbeneficialchangestotheearth'sgeography”)andaprofligateissuerofsubpoenas,aswellassubpoenasfromExxonMobil.Discretionpreventsmefromelaboratinghere,excepttosaythatthesubpoenasrelatetotheinvestigationbyNewYorkAGSchneidermanandMassAGHealeyofExxonMobilforpotentialconsumerandinvestorfraud(Gillis&Krauss2015,Schwartz2016a).Mr.Smith,forhispart,wasinvestigatingourallegedcoordinatedattemptto“deprivecompanies,non-profitorganizations,andscientistsoftheirFirstAmendmentrightsandabilitytofundandconductscientificresearchfreeintimidationandthreatsofprosecution.”NottheFirstAmendmentRightsofresearchscientistsandadvocacyorganizations,mindyou,butExxonMobil’s.Mostoilandgasandcoalcompaniesdoinvestinlow-andnon-carbonenergysourcesandotherformsofmitigation—butformostitisaminisculepercentageofcapitalexpenditures(typically<1-2%),andfewcompaniesareinvestingseriouslyincarboncaptureandstorage.Moreover,mostmajoroil&gascompaniesprojectdramaticovershootofglobalCO2emissionsinthedecadesahead(ExxonMobil,BP,RoyalDutchShell;seeFrumhoffetal.2015,andCarbonTracker2014).Figure8showsemissionpathwaysforfour“representativeconcentrationpathways”—RCP2.6,4.5,6.0,and8.5ofIPCCscenarios—ofwhichRCP2.6isconsideredclosetothepathwayforglobalwarmingguardrailof≤2°C.Thefigureshowstheovershootforecastsofmajoroil&gascompanies,whichareinvestingheavily(>$700billionperyear)innewresourcesandreserves,whileclaiming(withoutfoundation,inmyview,seeHeede&Oreskes2016)thatmeetinggrowingdemandforcarbonfuelsisjustifiedtoalleviateenergypoverty.Theimplicitthreatisthatthecompaniesaimtocontinueto

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profitfrommaximizingproductionoverseveraldecades,relyingonthecontinuanceofpoliciesinadequatetocurtailcarbonemissionsinlinewiththe2°Cguardrail,muchless1.5°C.

Figure8:globalpathwaysandindustryforecastingofemissions.

Frumhoffetal.2015.

Science-basedtargetsforoil,naturalgas,andcoalcompaniesIfwearetoachieveglobalreductionsinenergy-relatedCO2andmethaneemissionsthatmeettheobjectivesoftheParisAccord,thenitisincumbent,inthisobserver’sopinion,onindustrytotakethelead,notsimplywaitforpoliticalleaderstomaketheneededpolicyinitiatives.Thecurrentsetofpolicyinitiativesareinadequatetothetask(Germanwatch2017,Rogeljetal.2016),particularlyintheUnitedStates(wheretheTrumpAdministration’sdeplorablepoliciesareintendedtoincreasefossilfuelproduction,consumption,andexports),Canada,Japan,Russia,China,andAustralia.Itistimeforthecarboncompaniestoassertleadershipratherthanthepassivedo-nothingattitudetheyhavebeenprofitablyhidingbehindfordecades.Leadingoil&gascompaniesarebeginningtoseethewritingonthewallthataligningproductionandinvestmentwithscience-basedtargetsisaquestionofresponsivenesstoinvestorconcerns,andtoregulatorsandlitigators,andperhapsevenanexistentialinquiryforhowtosurviveinthe21stCentury.Progressivecompaniesgoagooddealfurtherinorientingtheirstrategiestoprosperundersevereclimaterestraints.IrankStatoil,TotalSA,Shell,andBPasthemostvisionaryinthisregardandthatsupportthetransitionwithsignificantinvestmentinashifttonaturalgas(manycompaniesaredoingthis;netbenefitsdependonCH4leakage),reducingoperationalemissions,mitigation,carboncaptureandstorage,and,mostimportantly,low-orzero-carbonalternatives.

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Weanalyzedthereservesandinvestmentoptionsforoneoil&gascompanyinordertounderstanditscarbonintensityandemissionpathwayoutto2050(Fariaetal.2016;Figure9).

Figure9:O&Gcompanycarbonintensitypathwayformeetingscience-basedtargetof≤2°C

Faria,Griffin,&Heede,2016.

Similaranalyseswillincreasinglybeconductedbyprogressiveoil&gascompaniesandbyClimateAccountabilityInstituteandourcolleagues.Theinitialfocusislikelytobeonmeasurestoreduceoperational(scope1&2)sourcesthataligncompanyemissionswiththe2°Cpathway(orless);productemissionswillalsoneedtobeaccountedforascompanieslearntoaimhigher.

LegalimplicationsThescientificcontributionstowardtheattributionofresponsibilityfortheemissionstraceabletomajorcarbonproducerssince1854(basedonHeede2014)andtherecentattributionofclimateimpacts—mostvisiblyandviscerallywithrespecttosealevelrise—implicatesthefossilfuelindustryincausingsignificantandgrowingdamagestolifeandproperty(Frank,2017).Thelegalpressureissuretomount,andwealreadyseethefirstcasesemergeinGermany(RWE;Collyns2015TheGuardian,Schwartz2016bNewYorkTimes),andmostrecentlyincomplaintsfiledagainsttwentycarbonmajorsbyMarinCounty,SanMateoCounty,andImperialBeachinCaliforniainJulyofthisyear(SherEdlingLaw;seeWestervelt2017,Rosenfeld2017),andbyCityofSanFranciscoandCityofOaklandinSeptember(HagensBermanLaw;seeInsideCimateNews).

Individualcompaniesarechallengedbyinvestigationsofconsumerandinvestorfraudandofhumanrightsviolations.NewYorkAttorneyGeneralEricSchneidermanandMassachusettsAGMauraHealeylaunchedaninvestigationofExxonMobilin2015(Gillis&Krauss,2015,NewYorkTimes);thePhilippinesCommissiononHumanRightslaunchedaninvestigationofhumanrightsviolationsby40majoroil,gas,andcoalcompanies(Howard,2016,TheGuardian).

Morecasesaresuretoariseseekingcompensationorinjunctivereliefforfossilfuelcompanies’contributiontoclimatechangeandtoclimatedamages.Universityendowments,investors,andretirementfundmanagerswillcontinuetochallengethebusinessplansoffossilfuelcompaniesandtradeassociationsforperpetuatinghighlevelsofoil,gas,andcoalproductionwithoutsufficientconcernforglobalclimateimpacts,andtodivestfromcarboncompanies,aswilllenders,insurers,andunderwriters.Investorsandlendersareincreasinglyawareoftheriskofpotentialstrandedassets.Policymakersmayacttoeliminateperverseandmarket-distortingfossilfuelsubsidiesandtheadditionalcarbonresourcestippedfromuneconomictorecoverablebyvirtueofthesubsidies(Ericksonetal.),andaddresstheenormousmisallocationofcapitalandenvironmentaldamages

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fromcarbonsubsidies(Coadyetal.,Nucitelli).Politicalcampaigncontributionsbyfossilfuelcompaniesmaybecurtailed(unlikely).Industryfundingofclimatedenialanddeceptioncampaigns(Brulle,UCS2015),falseadvertising(Supran&Oreskes),namingclimatescience“fakenews”(Davenport&Lipton),andthelikewillflag.Societywillfightback(Klein2014,McKibben2016).

Whitheraccountability?Considerablebenefitshaveaccruedtothesemajorcarbonproducers,andtotheirindividualandinstitutionalinvestorsandstatesponsors.Giventhis,itseemsreasonabletoarguethattheyhaveanethicalobligationtohelpaddressclimatedestabilization(Gardiner2011,Shue2017).Moreover,manyoftheseentities—bothstate-andinvestor-owned—possessthefinancialresourcesandtechnicalcapabilitiestodevelopandcontributetoclimatechangemitigation,adaptation,recovery,andremedyforaworldinperil.

Thesecompanieshavehelpedadvancesocietiesandprovidedpowerandcomforttocivilization.Theconsequencesofemittingincreasingamountsofcarbondioxidefromtheuseoffossilfuelswerenotsufficientlyappreciateduntil,say,1980—whereuponitbecameincumbentonthefossilfuelindustrytoleadtheconversationandhelpresolvethedilemmaofhowtocopewithclimatechange.Thistheindustrylargelyfailedtodo.Thecompanieshavecontributedthelion’sshareofglobalCO2emissions,andtheynowhaveamoral—andperhapslegal—obligationtoinvestinfossilemissionreductionandalternatives,aswellastocontributetoadaptationcosts,andleadthewayinaligningtheworldeconomytowardalowercarbonfuture.

PeterFrumhoff,co-authorandUCSdirectorofscienceandpolicy,pointsoutthat“taxpayers,includingthoselivinginvulnerablecoastalcommunities,shouldnotalonehavetopaythehighcostsofthesecompanies'irresponsibledecisions.”(Seetheexcellentop-edbyFrumhoff&Allen.)

HenryShue,UniversityofOxford,Dept.ofPoliticsandInternationalRelations,saidinhisdeeplyinsightfulCommentarytoourpaperthat:

“Investor-ownedcompanieshavelongunderstoodtheharmoftheirproducts,yetcarriedoutadecades-longcampaigntosowdoubtsaboutthoseharmsinordertoensurefossilfuelswouldremaincentraltoglobalenergyproduction.Companiesknowinglyviolatedthemostbasicmoralprincipleof'donoharm,'andnowtheymustremedytheharmtheycaused.”

Inclosing,IcansayitnobetterthantheeditorsofTheGuardiandidinSeptemberasHurricaneIrmawasbarrelingtowardFlorida:

“Fossil-fuelcompaniesshouldbeheldaccountablefortheeffectsofclimatechange.Legalwarfarehasatwo-foldaim:tooverhaultransgressors’businessmodelssothattheyareinlinewiththeglobalcommit-menttophaseoutfossilfuelsandlimittemperaturerisesto1.5°C;andtogetthemtopayfordamagesresultingfromglobalwarming.Climatelitigationistheinevitableresultofafailureoftwodecadesoftalks.Butitisalsoanimportantwayofreframingtheclimatecrisisasahumanrightsemergency.”

~~~•~~~

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