Hardly Pouring Oil onto Troubled Waters?

A depressing read from Tzeparah Berman (Chair of Fossil Fuel Non-proliferaton Treaty) and Nathan Taft (Safe Cities), detailing the response of the oil (and gas?) multinationals to the UN's 'Race to Zero' initiative (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/03/global-oil-companies-have-committed-to-net-zero-emissions-its-a-sham). The fossil fuel producers have finally recognised they can no longer claim that climate change doesn't exist. They even admit they have a role in it. The multinationals have suddenly become enthusiasts for net zero emissions. As a result, BP, Shell and others have all published their 'net zero' pathways. The pathways generally advocate (often with tacit government support), increases in fossil fuel extraction. This is to be combined with tree-planting and carbon capture technologies ('negative emissions'). Berman and Taft are unconvinced (as are many others) that tree-planting and carbon capture have the capacity to counteract current fossil fuel use. There is no hope of it covering expansion of oil and gas extraction. They argue there is an obvious and urgent need to rapidly wind down fossil fuel production, before phasing it out. Unfortunately, turkeys (and multinational share holders?) rarely vote for Christmas.