Read the latest insights and analysis from the experts at Oil Change International.
June 1st, 2024, the grand opening day, came and went —but nothing actually happened. It was the latest of many proposed start dates that have come and gone over the years. The highly controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) was meant to start a year ago, then last month, and finally, on June 1st. Again, that deadline was missed.
Last month, it was widely reported that another chapter in Shell’s dirty and disastrous eighty-seven-year operations in the Niger Delta was coming to an end, with the company selling its onshore business.
Amongst the barrage of near-constant lousy news on the climate, from record rain bombs and flooding to relentless heat domes and wildfires, comes historic great news.
The glossy website for the African Oil Summit in London last week called the event “Africa’s premier global energy conference”. Partners included some of the biggest international oil companies such as BP, Shell, Eni, E.on and Total.
There is a new name to add to the list of catastrophic climate failures by the Biden Administration: Alaska LNG.
A new scientific paper, published yesterday in the PNAS, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has concluded that government inventories of methane and carbon dioxide significantly underestimate the amount of gases which are released in the Gulf of Mexico from oil and gas operations.
If completed, EACOP will pose significant risks to millions of people; jeopardize vital, internationally recognized ecosystems; and, at peak production, generate annual carbon emissions roughly equivalent to the carbon footprint of nine coal-fired power plants.
Two prominent African environmentalists are pushing back against those advocating for more fossil fuel drilling on the continent. They argue that “far from generating prosperity and stability in sub-Saharan Africa, investments in fossil fuels cause real harm,” noting “Decades of fossil fuel development have failed to deliver energy to much of the continent" and "have deepened inequality, caused environmental damage, stoked corruption, and encouraged political repression.”
Embedded into the story of the struggle against Big Oil in Ecuador is the American lawyer: Steven Donziger. His story adds another layer of torrid injustice in the fight to hold Big Oil accountable. His story needs to be told.
Hurricane Ida may have slipped from the news, but its deadly legacy continues, with the extent of lasting damage only now becoming apparent in many communities.
