A single year of emissions from major oil and gas corporations including BP and TotalEnergies could cause at least 360,000 people to die prematurely due to extreme heat and cold by 2100, according to a harrowing study released today by Greenpeace Netherlands.
The ‘Today’s emissions, tomorrow’s deaths’ study analyses the self-reported 2022 emissions of nine major European oil and gas companies, Shell, TotalEnergies, BP, Equinor, Eni, Repsol, OMV, Orlen, and Wintershall Dea, painting a stark reality of avoidable human losses caused by their greenhouse gas pollution.
“Are fossil fuel companies getting away with murder? Just one year of emissions will create deadly ripples until the end of the century. So, if the fossil fuel industry continues extracting and burning fossil fuels at today’s scale, millions of people all over the world could die prematurely. Phasing out fossil fuels is a matter of life and death, so governments need to act now to ban new fossil fuel projects and force fossil fuel companies to rapidly cut their emissions,” Greenpeace campaigner Lisa Göldner said.
The emissions, totaling 2.7 billion metric tons of CO2, are forecasted to generate at least an estimated 360,000 premature deaths due to extreme heat and cold, however, there are additional risks like air pollution and extreme weather not included in this estimate. This alarming trajectory could exacerbate climate loss and damage, which is estimated to cost developing countries approximately US$400 billion by 2030.
Vanessa Nakate, a prominent ugandan climate justice advocate, emphasise the urgent need to curb fossil fuel reliance, especially in regions like Africa, which face immediate harm.
Swift action is imperative. Greenpeace is calling for an immediate cessation of new fossil fuel projects and advocates ramping up taxes on fossil fuel companies to fund climate finance and loss and damage recovery.
In parallel, independent legal experts have highlighted possible legal avenues in some European countries to criminally prosecute fossil fuel companies for endangering human lives, an underutilised measure with profound potential in addressing the climate crisis. Their findings are published in a legal analysis on “Climate Homicide” also published by Greenpeace Netherlands today.
This revelation underscores the urgent need for COP28 to decide on a decisive phase-out of fossil fuels, banning new extraction projects, and fortifying support for developing nations grappling with climate impacts.