Oil and gas firms’ green investments fail to match promise of publicity – study

BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies spend $750m a year burnishing climate credentials but only 12% of capital on low-carbon development

Big oil and gas companies are spending tens of millions publicising their environmental work, while only about a 10th of their investment goes into low-carbon development, a report claims.

A comprehensive study of public communications from five oil and gas firms by InfluenceMap, a climate finance thinktank, found that 60% of the publicity made at least one claim highlighting the companies' positive climate actions. But on average, the five companies devoted only 12% of capital expenditure to low-carbon activities - and this included some gas projects.