Shell
Chief Worries Over Planet Earth
By David Adam
17June, 2004
The Guardian
The
head of one of the world's biggest oil companies has admitted that the
threat of climate change makes him "really very worried for the
planet".
In an interview in today's Guardian Life section, Ron Oxburgh, chairman
of Shell, says we urgently need to capture emissions of the greenhouse
gas carbon dioxide, which scientists think contribute to global warming,
and store them underground - a technique called carbon sequestration.
"Sequestration
is difficult, but if we don't have sequestration then I see very little
hope for the world," said Lord Oxburgh. "No one can be comfortable
at the prospect of continuing to pump out the amounts of carbon dioxide
that we are pumping out at present ... with consequences that we really
can't predict but are probably not good."
His comments will
enrage many in the oil industry, which is targeted by climate change
campaigners because the use of its products spews out huge quantities
of carbon dioxide, most visibly from vehicle exhausts.
His words follow
those of the government's chief science adviser, David King, who said
in January that climate change posed a bigger threat to the world than
terrorism.
"You can't
slip a piece of paper between David King and me on this position,"
said Lord Oxburgh, a respected geologist who replaced the disgraced
Philip Watts as chairman of the British arm of the oil giant in March.
Companies including
Shell and BP have previously acknowledged the problem of climate change
and pledged to reduce their own emissions, but the issue remains sensitive,
and carefully worded public statements often emphasise uncertainties
over risks.
Robin Oakley, a
climate campaigner with Greenpeace, said: "This is an important
statement to make but it does have to come with a commitment to follow
through, and that means making the case to his peers in the oil industry
who are still sceptical of climate change."
Mr Oakley said a
gulf was opening between more progressive oil companies such as Shell,
which invests in alternative energy sources including wind and solar
power, and ExxonMobil, the biggest and most influential producer, particularly
in the US.
In June 2002 ExxonMobil's
chairman, Lee Raymond, said: "We in ExxonMobil do not believe that
the science required to establish this linkage between fossil fuels
and warming has been demonstrated."
Lord Oxburgh's words
will also fuel arguments over sequestration. Supporters say it will
allow a smoother transition to reduced emissions by allowing us to burn
coal, oil and gas for longer. Critics argue that the idea is an expensive
and probably unworkable smokescreen for continued reliance on fossil
fuels.
Last year the Guardian
revealed that ministers were considering plans for a national network
of pipelines to carry millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from power
stations to be buried under the North sea.
"You probably
have to put it under the sea but there are other possibilities. You
may be able to trap it in solids or something like that," said
Lord Oxburgh, who claimed even vehicle emissions could be trapped and
disposed of. "The timescale might be impossible, in which case
I'm really very worried for the planet because I don't see any other
approach."
According to a 3,000m
(about 10,000ft) ice core from Antarctica revealing the Earth's climate
history, carbon dioxide levels are the highest for at least 440,000
years.
Lord Oxburgh said
the situation is particularly urgent because many developing countries,
including India and China, are sitting on huge untapped stocks of coal,
probably the most polluting fossil fuel.
"If they choose
to burn their coal, we in the west are not in a very good position to
tell them not to, because it's exactly what we did in our industrial
revolution."
Bryony Worthington,
a climate campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said: "It isn't
a responsible attitude to say we're going to pledge to do sequestration
but if the plans don't work out then the world's messed up. He's done
quite a clever job by making it clear he's concerned but at the same
time not pledging to do anything about it."
She called for tougher
emission standards for new vehicles, as well as greater investment in
energy efficiency measures and renewable sources.
A former non-executive
director with Shell, Lord Oxburgh was catapulted into the chairman's
role after the company was forced to reveal it had overstated the extent
of its reserves. He was widely viewed as a safe pair of hands.
He followed his
long-standing academic career with spells as chief science adviser to
the Ministry of Defence and rector of Imperial College, London. A crossbench
life peer, he still chairs the Lords science and technology select committee,
although he must retire from Shell next year.