Reacting to the massive fires in the Texas Panhandle, the largest in Texas’ history and burning through 1.1 million hectares 1 :
Ian Duff, Head of Greenpeace’s Stop, Drilling Start Paying campaign said:
“These fires are an unfolding tragedy. Our hearts go out to those who are experiencing loss across the state.
The blazes we’re seeing in Texas are not just fueled by high winds and exceptionally dry weather. As emissions from burning more oil and gas makes the climate crisis worse, we can only expect to see more of these out of control disasters.
The UN projects that the number of wildfires will rise worldwide by 50% by 2100 2 , and that climate change is expected to make these fires more frequent and intense. As the largest oil driller and producer in the United States, oil companies in Texas are literally fueling the flames on their doorstep.
The corporations threatening our planet and its people – including Chevron 3 , Exxon, Equinor 4 , Eni 5 , BP 6 , Shell 7 , and TotalEnergies 8 – have just announced mind-boggling annual profits. They must stop drilling and start paying. Oil and gas drilling and production from ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel giants needs to be rapidly phased out – and their billions in profits must pay for the damage they’ve caused.”
This content originally appeared on Common Dreams 9 and was authored by Newswire Editor.