A report places Repsol among the 50 largest global emitters of CO₂ in the last 170 years

A report prepared by the British research center InfluenceMap has tracked the contribution to climate change of the world's large fossil fuel producers and cement companies, both public and private. And it points to 122 large entities as responsible for 72% of all carbon dioxide emissions linked to the fossil and cement sectors. For their study, they have taken into account the CO₂ expelled directly (related to the extraction and manufacturing process) and the indirect CO₂ (that of the products they sell once they are burned to generate energy). Carbon dioxide is the gas that is most responsible for the global warming that the planet is suffering now.

The study classifies entities into three categories: investor-owned companies, state-owned companies and nation states. And the period between 1854 and 2022 is analyzed. Private companies accumulate 31% of all tracked emissions of the 122 entities studied; Chevron, ExxonMobil and BP are the three largest contributors in this case. State companies account for another 33% of historical emissions, with Saudi Aramco, Gazprom and the National Iranian Oil Company standing out as the main emitters. Nation states account for the remaining 36%, with China and the former Soviet Union being the largest contributors to coal production.

Position 50 of the 122 public and private entities is occupied by Repsol, the only Spanish company that appears in the classification. “Repsol is one of the largest Carbon Majors [grandes emisores de dióxido de carbono] and it has played a relevant role historically,” Emmett Connaire, InfluenceMap analyst and co-author of this report, tells EL PAÍS. “Repsol's CO₂ emissions are equivalent to 0.23% of the global emissions of fossil fuels and cement” of the block of 122 entities analyzed, he adds. But Connaire also points out that the company “appears to have slightly decreased its fossil fuel production in recent years,” leading to a reduction in the gases it expels. Repsol did not want to make any statement.

The report, which is based on a database that can consult here, attributes to Repsol accumulated emissions of 4,584 million tons of CO₂ equivalent since 1964, when it began operating although under a different name. But, since 2010, they have been reduced by almost 23%, according to the data used for this analysis. In Latin America, the Mexican Pemex, the Venezuelan PDVSA and the Brazilian Petrobras stand out, all with state capital and which together account for 3% of the historical emissions of the group of 122 entities.

In total, this database attributes to the 122 producers accumulated emissions of 1,421 gigatonnes since 1854. Analysts maintain that this amount represents 72% of the CO₂ expelled by the fossil fuel and cement sector since 1751, that is, since the start of the Industrial Revolution. They also add that more than 70% of these global emissions can be attributed to only 78 corporate and state producing entities, among which is Repsol.

Daan Van Acker, program director of InfluenceMap, highlighted in a statement the importance of this database, whose first version dates back to 2013, as “a key tool for attributing responsibility for climate change to fossil fuel producers.” And he adds: “InfluenceMap's new analysis shows that this group is not slowing down production, as most entities increased it after the Paris Agreement,” signed in 2015. In his opinion, “this research provides a crucial link to hold these energy giants accountable for the consequences of their activities.”

“Most fossil fuel companies produced more fossil fuels in the seven years after the Paris Agreement than in the seven years before the pact was adopted,” the authors warn.

For Tzeporah Berman, environmental activist and president of the initiative seeking the adoption of a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, this analysis points to those responsible “for the lethal heat, extreme weather and air pollution that threaten lives and cause havoc.” in our oceans and forests.” “These companies have made billions of dollars in profits while denying the problem and delaying and obstructing climate policy,” she criticizes. “They are spending millions on advertising campaigns about being part of a sustainable solution, while continuing to invest in more fossil fuel extraction,” she warns.

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