Big oil quietly walks back on climate pledges as global heat records tumble

Energy firms have made record profits by increasing production of oil and gas, far from their promises of rolling back emissions

It was probably the Earth's hottest week in history earlier this month, following the warmest June on record, and top scientists agree that the planet will get even hotter unless we phase out fossil fuels.

Yet leading energy companies are intent on pushing the world in the opposite direction, expanding fossil fuel production and insisting that there is no alternative. It is evidence that they are motivated not by record warming, but by record profits, experts say.