Bangla Press Desk: The fossil fuel industry’s long-standing promise to lead the global transition toward cleaner energy has largely failed to materialize. New research from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) reveals that the world’s largest oil and gas companies are responsible for just 1.42% of all renewable energy projects worldwide. The findings were published on Thursday, September 9, in the journal Nature Sustainability.
The study highlights a stark contrast between the fossil fuel industry’s rhetoric and its actual investments. While major oil and gas corporations have long portrayed themselves as “energy companies of the future,” the data suggest that their involvement in renewable energy remains largely symbolic rather than substantive.
ICTA-UAB researchers analyzed data from the Global Energy Monitor, focusing on the 250 largest oil and gas producers, which together account for 88% of global hydrocarbon output. The team identified 3,166 renewable energy projects, including wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal, in which these companies have any form of involvement—directly, through subsidiaries, or via acquisitions.
Despite this presence, the study found that only 20% of these major companies operate a renewable energy project, and renewables represent a mere 0.1% of their total primary energy output.
“This data speaks volumes,” said Marcel Llavero-Pasquina, lead researcher at ICTA-UAB and lead author of the study. “Oil and gas companies’ renewable deployment is anecdotal at best. Their contribution to combating the climate crisis should be measured not by marketing campaigns but by how much fossil fuel they leave in the ground.”
The findings directly challenge the fossil fuel sector’s claims of spearheading global decarbonization. According to Zero Carbon Analytics, nearly a quarter of the top 100 oil and gas companies have set greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030, with an average commitment of a 43% cut in emissions from their own operations.
However, ICTA-UAB’s analysis shows that these pledges have not translated into substantial investment in clean energy infrastructure.
The study raises urgent concerns for policymakers, universities, and international institutions that continue to treat fossil fuel companies as legitimate partners in climate action. “After decades of empty promises, it is time for governments and public institutions to recognize that the fossil fuel industry will always be part of the problem—not the solution—to the climate crisis,”
Llavero-Pasquina added. “Oil and gas companies should not have a seat at the table where the future of climate and energy policy is decided.”
Supporting these conclusions, Professor Julia Steinberger of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, said, “The findings reaffirm what scientists have long known: the oil, gas, and coal industries are failing to transition. Despite their green slogans, these companies are not decarbonizing. Lobby groups and think tanks linked to fossil fuels continue to shape political decisions, delaying the urgent action our planet needs.”
Kasandra O’Malia, Project Manager for the Global Solar Power Tracker at Global Energy Monitor, echoed the warning: “Oil and gas companies simply aren’t investing in renewables as they have pledged. Claims to the contrary are nothing more than greenwashing.”
The ICTA-UAB researchers conclude that continued reliance on fossil fuel corporations to drive the energy transition is misguided. Real progress, they argue, will require shifting financial and policy support away from fossil interests and toward truly clean energy actors.
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