Exxon Mobil, Chevron join climate initiative

Three of the United States’ largest oil and natural gas companies are joining a major fossil fuel–backed international coalition to battle climate change.

Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and Occidental Petroleum Corp. all announced that they’re joining the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) Thursday, in the lead-up to the major Climate Week event in New York City next week, where the group will have a meeting.

The group was launched in 2014. Initially, United States–based companies avoided the initiative, and it was dominated by foreign companies like BP, Total and Royal Dutch Shell.

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“It will take the collective efforts of many in the energy industry and society to develop scalable, affordable solutions that will be needed to address the risks of climate change,” Darren Woods, CEO of Exxon Mobil, said in a statement.

“Our mission is to supply energy for modern life and improve living standards around the world while minimizing impacts on the environment. This dual challenge is one of the most important issues facing society and our company.”

Chevron CEO Michael Wirth said the company wants “to work constructively on addressing the risks of climate change.”

The OGCI said its membership of 13 companies now accounts for about 30 percent of global oil and gas production.

The group works toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in oil and gas industry operations and pushing for investments in new technologies that could reduce emissions.