consumption will at least continue at the same level for decades to come.6 Shell recently announced it would set carbon footprint targets.7 But these are all just words because at the end of the time, the company continues to spend on fossil fuels and ignore the risks facing communities. ExxonMobil is planning for the “the dominance of oil and gas in the energy and transportation sectors” and [it] is “skeptical that policy will actually achieve a 2°C scenario; it anticipates a 2.4°C scenario instead.”8 As if they can play God and negotiate with air and water…. What planet are they living on? Here is what we know for sure: Mother Nature is a notoriously bad negotiator. She does not suffer fools gladly. And sadly, the respondents appear to be living in a world of fantasy where they can bargain with the laws of physics and chemistry as they may over pipeline contracts. These companies are not doing what is necessary to prepare for a zero carbon economy, but seem to want to loot the ship even as it burns. Should we allow these companies to play dice with our children’s futures, in blatant disregard of human rights law? They are yet to realize that the real art of this deal is walking away with a livable planet for all. That means the drilling, the burning, the smoke and fumes, and the delay have to end. The Carbon Majors must meaningfully align their business models with the 1.5oC limit of the Paris Agreement and integrate climate change considerations in their policies and practices, including their human rights due diligence processes in order to protect communities. Because, at the end of the day and according to our Constitution, everyone has the right to life and that right is to live a good life. What can/must the Carbon Majors do about it? accountable? How do we hold them This is why we initiated this petition. Because States are not the only ones who must abide by human right principles, standards, and laws. The respondent Carbon Majors, according to UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Shell, “https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/the-energy-future/scenarios/shellscenario-sky.html,” last accessed 12 December 2018. 7 Letter from Ben Van Beurden to Patricia Espinosa (28 November 2018), available at https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/Van%20Beurden%20Letter%20to%20Espinosa.pdf, last accessed at 12 December 2018. 8 Justin Gundlach, “‘2°C’ Reports by Fossil Fuel Companies and Utilities: A Brief Survey” Sabin Center for Climate Change Law (19 March 2018), available at http://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2018/03/19/2c-reports-by-fossil-fuel-companiesand-utilities-a-brief-survey/, last accessed at 12 December 2018. [The oral presentation inadvertently attributed this quote to Exxon, rather than the correct source, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.] 6 Closing Statement for the Petitioners | 6