@professorhank "If global warming reaches or exceeds two degrees Celsius by 2100, University of Western Ontario's Joshua Pearce says it is likely that mainly richer humans will be responsible for the death of roughly one billion mainly poorer humans over the next century.

"The #OilAndGasindustry, which includes many of the most profitable and powerful businesses in the world, is directly and indirectly responsible for more than 40% of carbon emissions—impacting the lives of billions of people, many living in the world's most remote and low-resourced communities."

#Oil lobby's financial pressure on Obama over #KeystoneXL pipeline revealed

Study shows money flowing to oil lobby ahead of decision on tar sands pipeline in the November elections

by Suzanne Goldberg, January, 2012

"Maplight found only two of the 118 members of the House of Representatives who list oil and gas industry among their top 10 campaign contributors opposed fast-tracking the pipeline. The two hold-outs were Ed Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who headed the global warming committee that has since been disbanded by the Republican leadership in the house, and Charlie Bass, a New Hampshire Republican.

"Here's a look at some of the #OilAndGasIndustry's favourite members of Congress as compiled by Maplight – all members of the $100,000 club, and all supporters of a bill to push Obama to pass the pipeline – along with some of their recent statements on the Keystone tar sands project.

"From Steven Pearce, the New Mexico Republican, who heads the list, receiving $370,000 in direct contributions from the oil and gas industry in the two years from July 2009-July 2011. 'It is time to put the political games aside,' the congressman said on his website last month. 'We must all work together to ensure the culmination of projects, such as the Keystone pipeline.'

"Mike Pompeo, the Republican who represents the Wichita Kansas hometown of the oil billionaire Koch brothers, comes in number two on the list with $333,156 in industry contributions. Pompeo is also the main recipient of Koch political funds, according to another organisation tracking money and influence, Opensecrets.org.

"Bill Flores, a former oil company executive and a Republican from central Texas who received $266,184 in industry funds according to Maplight during the debate on the Keystone bill last July, has said: 'If we do not tap this valuable resource, the Chinese or other countries will.'

"Dan Boren, an Oklahoma Democrat who received $201,800, said the pipeline would create 'tens of thousands of new jobs' – claims that have been debunked by economists."

Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jan/11/oil-lobby-money-obama-keystone

#BigOil #BigOilAndGas #BigOilKnew #Oligarchy

How secretive #methane leaks are driving #ClimateChange

19 Jul 2022

"There is an open secret in the oil and gas industry and it is feeding the climate crisis.

"Massive methane leaks, known as super-emitter events, have been taking place at oil and gas fields all over the world, from the #UnitedStates to #Turkmenistan. The releases, most of which can be traced to equipment failures, can last for weeks. One outside of a storage facility in #LosAngeles in 2015 hemorrhaged almost 100,000 tonnes of methane — a potent #GreenhouseGas — into the atmosphere over the course of four months.

"In June, researchers at Spain’s Polytechnic University of Valencia, said they uncovered the latest known super-emitter event at an #OilAndGas platform in the #GulfOfMexico . The installation discharged 40,000 tonnes of methane during a 17-day spell in December 2021 — equivalent to 3 per cent of #Mexico’s annual oil and gas emissions. Researchers said the release may never have been known to the public if not for the fact that it was captured by a #EuropeanSpaceAgency satellite.

"While the discharge was caught, it remains challenging to trace emissions of methane, which is colourless, odourless and responsible for more than 25% of the global warming the Earth is experiencing today. Due to its structure, methane traps more #heat in the atmosphere per molecule than carbon dioxide (CO2) making it 80 times more harmful than #CO2 during the 20 years after it is released into the atmosphere.

"As countries develop plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst effects of climate change, experts say it's vital to have a better handle on how much methane is being released into the atmosphere, including from super-emitter events. Cutting human-caused methane by 45 per cent this decade would keep warming beneath a threshold outlined by the #ParisAgreement.

"The big challenge is knowing exactly how much [methane] is being emitted, where it is being emitted and for how long it has been emitted."

Read more:
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/how-secretive-methane-leaks-are-driving-climate-change

#ExxonKnew #MethaneLeaks #OilAndGasIndustry #OilAndGas #ClimateCrisis #ClimateCatastrophe #ExxonKnew #USGovernmentKnew