Climatic Change (2015) 132:157–171
DOI 10.1007/s10584-015-1472-5
E S S AY
The climate responsibilities of industrial carbon producers
Peter C. Frumhoff 1 & Richard Heede 2 & Naomi Oreskes 2,3
Received: 25 December 2014 / Accepted: 8 July 2015 / Published online: 23 July 2015
# The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract Responsibility for climate change lies at the heart of societal debate over
actions to address it. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
established the principle of Bcommon but differentiated responsibilities^ among nations, suggesting that industrialized nations that had produced the greatest share of
historic emissions bore particular responsibility for preventing dangerous interference
with the climate system. But climate responsibilities can be attributed in other ways as
well. Here, we explore the conceptual territory of responsibility. We consider the
distinctive responsibilities of the major investor-owned producers of fossil fuels,
assessing the actions these companies took and could have taken to act upon the
scientific evidence of climate change. We conclude that major investor-owned fossil
energy companies carry significant responsibility for climate change. It is still possible
for these companies to effectively contribute to a solution. Significant progress in
reducing emissions and limiting climate change could be achieved if companies 1)
unequivocally communicate to the public, shareholders, and policymakers the climate
risks resulting from continued use of their products, and therefore the need for
restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the 2 °C global temperature
target; 2) firmly reject contrary claims by industry trade associations and lobbying
groups; and, 3) accelerate their transition to the production of low-carbon energy.
Evidence from history strongly suggests that a heightened societal focus on their
climate responsibilities will be needed to hasten such a transition.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10584-015-1472-5)
contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
* Peter C. Frumhoff
pfrumhoff@ucsusa.org
1
Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, MA 02138-3780, USA
2
Climate Accountability Institute, Snowmass, CO 81654, USA
3
Department of the History of Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA