Late in 2021, a global energy think tank at Columbia University held a private workshop with representatives from the national and international oil, financial, consulting and nongovernment organization (NOC) sectors, along with academia, to better understand the dynamics and impact of the global sustain-ability movement on the energy space. Various energy, social and governance (ESG) rating agencies also took part. Two researchers at Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy (CCEP) summarized the discussions from mid-November that year, offering an outlook for growing ESG importance in the oil and gas sector. At this same time, one of the world's largest oil companies, Paris-based Total, changed its name to TotalEnergies and its focus to long-term sustainability, mimicking some of the Columbia workshop's revelations. "Gas and sustainable biofuels will be attractive and credible alternatives to conventional fuels, and Total intends to develop them," senior management explains on its website. "The development of gas production is accompanied by measures to control methane and carbon dioxide [CO_2] emissions (Scope 1+2). This development could be accompanied by an increasing share of biogas. The development of hydrogen could also contribute to meeting energy demand."
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