Big oil companies must act to curb environmental damage

More needs to be done to force big oil companies to reduce their impact on the environment, rather than telling individuals it's their responsibility, a leading fuel tech company said today.

SulNOx Group Plc, which has developed technology which can significantly reduce emissions from fossil fuels, said too much focus was put on what members of the public can do to reduce their carbon footprint and not enough on holding big oil and businesses to account.

The company’s views are echoed by Caroline Dennett who publicly severed tied with Shell, accusing the company of having a “disregard for climate change risks”.

Nawaz Haq, Executive Director of SulNOx Group, said he endorsed comments made by investment banker turned clean energy entrepreneur Assaad Razzouk in his book Saving the Planet Without the Bull*****. He argues that, while individual efforts to be eco-friendly are important from a moral perspective, they make little actual difference and are dwarfed by the tools governments have at their disposal to reduce emissions if they were to tackle the main culprits.

Mr Haq said: “We have developed technologies which can help both individuals and businesses reduce their environmental impact while, at the same time, saving them money. And while it is fantastic that a driver can put SulNOx in their tank and increase their MPG while reducing their carbon output, this is a drop in the ocean compared to what could be achieved if big business changed its ways. And it will only do this if legislated to by government.

“Systematic change on a global scale is needed - we have to have policies, infrastructures and technologies in place now that put the environment first. We cannot simply sit around twiddling our thumbs while we wait for clean power sources to become viable.

“Big Oil has got to shift significantly. We have had a lot of promises, but now we need to see action. The new CEO at Shell, for example, has said the ‘opportunity to be able to rewire the entire energy system towards lower carbon’ is a ‘fantastic opportunity’. But we also know Shell only invested the equivalent of 6.3% of its £17.1bn profits into renewable energy in the first half of the year, nearly three times less than it invested in new oil and gas.”

Caroline Dennett, who publicly withdrew her safety consultant services from Shell last year, believes there is no incentive for Big Oil to contribute to climate and pollution solutions. 

“Certainly in the UK the oil and gas majors are not encouraged by the government to invest in decarbonising our energy infrastructure and systems. It is the opposite,” she said. “For example, the much debated ‘windfall tax’ on oil and gas companies’ recent high profits was discounted by 91% if the companies evidenced substantial re-investment in new oil and gas extraction projects in the North Sea. 

“How beneficial would it be for both energy security and securing a liveable future if the discount was offered in return for investment in renewable energy infrastructure and development? Instead, renewable energy companies are ordered to pay a higher tax levy than these fossil fuel producers, 45% vs 35%, with no chance of a discount for re-investment in renewables. 

“These are the wrong incentives. We need smarter thinking and policies from the government that match their carbon reduction pledges.”

London-based SulNOx Group specialises in providing responsible solutions towards decarbonisation of liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Through extensive real-world road tests, its all-natural SulNOxEco™ fuel conditioners have been proven to significantly reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gases.  Fully developed and with manufacturing agreements in place to enable global scalability, this has the potential to ‘shift the curve’ on climate change.  

Mr Haq said: “As these products enable a cleaner and more complete combustion, this results in a significant reduction of particulate matter - tests have shown over 50% reductions - which is harmful to the environment and health.  

“Not enough focus has been given to reduce particulate matter and ‘black carbon’ and there has been a lack of legislation. For example, in the shipping sector, reports have confirmed its significant detrimental impact on air and marine pollution. However the International Maritime Organisation has not taken strong steps to tackle this issue.”