Climate Justice from Theory to Practice: The Responsibility and Duties of the Oil Industry

Thirty percent of the global industrial greenhouse gas emissions between 1965–2018 can be traced to the activities of 15 companies in the oil industry. Based on this evidence and on a number of morally relevant facts, this chapter proposes a normative framework for establishing the positive responsibility that oil companies have in relation to climate change. Then, the analysis articulates this responsibility in the form of two duties: a duty of reparation and a duty of decarbonisation. The duty of reparation implies rectification through disgorgement of funds for the wrongful actions of oil companies, which resulted in negative climate impacts, starting from the most vulnerable groups affected by climate change. The duty of decarbonisation entails a large-scale transformation that oil companies ought to undergo in order to reduce and eventually eliminate carbon emissions from their business model. Finally, the chapter indicates possible practical implications of these duties.