London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 10, 2026

Fossil fuels: 20 oil and gas firms who support Paris Agreement projected to spend $932bn on new sites by 2030

All 20 firms have voiced support for the Paris Agreement, but UN scientists warn any new oil and gas sites would put 1.5C Paris goal beyond reach. 20 fossil fuel firms including Shell and BP are projected to spend $932 billion (£715 bn) on new oil and gas fields by 2030.
All the oil majors have pledged support for the Paris Agreement, which commits to limiting global warming to ideally 1.5C above pre-industrial levels - firms who hadn't were discounted from the list.

The analysis from campaigners Global Witness and Oil Change International comes a week after the United Nations (UN) called it "moral and economic madness" to invest in new oil and gas.

UN scientists (IPCC) warned those assets risked becoming stranded by mid-century, and that new fossil fuel projects would tip the world well over the 1.5C Paris target.

Investments from companies that say they are aligned with Paris look "deeply hypocritical" and stand in "stark contrast" with the IPCC's findings, said Global Witness campaigner Barnaby Pace.

Russian state company Gazprom topped the list with a predicted spend of $138bn (£105bn), Shell ranked ninth with $46bn and BP fourteenth with $30bn, according to the researchers' analysis of Rystad Energy data.

The figures cover new oil and gas sites being explored or developed, not those already up and running.

"We aren't ready to stop using oil and gas overnight, but these are investments in new oil and gas fields that will be only coming online in years or decades to come," added Mr Pace.

By the end of 2040, the collective spend is expected to reach $1.5 trillion, the analysis shows.

Clean energy investments by the oil and gas industry accounted for around 1% of total capital expenditure in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency.

ExxonMobil - which ranked second with a projected spend of $83bn - said it planned to invest $15bn in "lower-emissions technologies". These include hydrogen, biofuels, and technology to suck carbon out of the air - which scientists say is necessary and should be reserved for very limited sectors - but not renewable energy, other than to electrify some operations.

Shell expects a gradual decline in total oil production of about 1-2% a year, and plans to invest around £15bn in "low and zero-carbon" energy - including offshore wind and hydrogen - in Britain, representing 75% of their UK investment.

Chevron said oil and natural gas are "critical to ensuring reliable energy for decades" and it was reducing the emissions from the extraction process.

"As the energy transition unfolds, demand for fossil fuels will likely fall and companies must ensure that they... don't sanction high cost products that are not needed and ultimately will fail to deliver a return to their shareholders," said Mike Coffin from financial think tank Carbon Tracker.

That means companies planning on sanctioning new oil and gas projects are "thus effectively betting both on the collective failure to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, and on [the failure of] renewables and technologies such as battery storage to substitute for oil and gas," he said.

The British Government last week sparked criticism when it confirmed in its new Energy Security Strategy it would grant new licences for new oil and gas fields in the North Sea.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
UK Airports Face Continuing Disruption After National Air Traffic Control Failure
UK Bans Imports From Israeli Settlements and Expands Sanctions on Iran
British Chambers of Commerce Forecasts UK Growth of 1% as Investment Remains Weak
UK Suspends Local Government Reorganisation Decisions and Cancels Planned Shadow Authority Polls
UK Parliament Opens Inquiry Into Gaps in Climate Change Preparedness
Andy Burnham and Xi Jinping Hold Talks on Trade, Security and British Consular Cases
UK Joins France, Canada and Other Nations in Measures Against Israeli West Bank Settlements
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Networks
British Chambers of Commerce Calls for Business Rate Reform and Productivity Support
UK Farmers Warn Dry Summer Could Reduce Crop Yields and Push Up Food Prices
UK Rail Networks Hit by Widespread Delays After Major Signalling Failures
Matt Clifford Resigns as ARIA Chair After Conflict-of-Interest Scrutiny
UK and France Say Joint Border Operations Have Prevented More Than 48,000 Irregular Channel Crossings
UK Core Inflation Remains Above Expectations as Utility and Commodity Costs Stay Elevated
Jaguar Land Rover Considers Up to 4,000 UK Job Cuts Amid Automotive Industry Pressure
UK Government Pauses Local Authority Reorganisation for Legal Review
UK Public Borrowing Reaches £1.8 Billion in July, Adding Pressure Before Autumn Budget
Chancellor John Healey Puts Regional Devolution and Fiscal Discipline at Heart of UK Growth Plan
Counter-Terrorism Police Lead Salford Investigation After Two Teenagers Charged
UK Rejects Financial Reparations for Transatlantic Slavery
UK and Egypt Step Up Diplomacy Over Escalating West Bank Tensions
UK Pauses Council Reorganisation Across Four English Counties
Jaguar Land Rover Plans 4,000 Job Cuts in Major UK Restructuring
UK Unveils Planning and Regulatory Overhaul to Speed Infrastructure and Economic Growth
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Innovation Campus
Families Give Evidence to Independent Review of Sussex Maternity Failures
Sweden Confirms Deportation of 458 British Citizens Over Post-Brexit Residency Rules
UK Launches £3 Million Challenge for Long-Duration Energy Storage
Reform UK Proposes £100 Billion in Spending Cuts and Brownfield Deregulation
Andy Burnham Warns Macron That EU Procurement Rules Could Hurt British Steel
Andy Burnham Faces Major Decision on Future North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
SEND Support in England Projected to Reach One in 10 Pupils
England’s Housing Courts Struggle With Surge in No-Fault Eviction Cases
Violent Clashes Erupt in Portsmouth During Protest Against Asylum Processing
×