Six European energy companies seek U.N. help for carbon pricing system -FT

May 31:


May 31 Europe's six largest oil and gas companies, including Royal Dutch Shell and Britain's BP Plc, have united together in seeking help from the United Nations to stop global warming, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
The companies asked for direct talks with the United Nations and governments on creating a global carbon pricing system ahead of U.N. climate talks in Paris in December. (on.ft.com/1eKkOaA)
"We owe it to future generations to seek realistic, workable solutions to the challenge of providing more energy while tackling climate change," the FT quoted the companies' chief executives as saying in a letter to the newspaper explaining their plan.
The group of six companies, which include France's Total SA , Norway's Statoil, Italy's Eni and Britain's BG Group, argue that avoiding the use of coal to generate electricity would help reduce carbon emissions, the newspaper said.
The business daily said the companies' chief executives had written on Friday to the U.N.'s top climate official, Christiana Figueres, asking for direct meetings with the U.N. and willing governments to discuss an international carbon scheme.
"We have important areas of interest in and contributions to make to creating and implementing a workable approach to carbon pricing," the newspaper quoted the chief executives as saying.
The companies said that to encourage climate-friendly investments, governments should launch carbon pricing measures, such as the EU's emission trading system, the newspaper said.
The paper said ExxonMobil and Chevron, the two largest U.S. oil producers, last week had opted out of joining any European initiative to forge a common position on global warming.
Reuters reported last week that around 200 governments are set to sign a global deal at the U.N. meeting in Paris in six months.
The governments will meet at a conference in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 to agree on a deal to slow global warming.
Royal Dutch Shell, Britain's BP Plc and BG group could not be reached immediately for comments outside regular business hours. France's Total, Italy's Eni and Norway's Statoil could not be reached immediately either.
The United Nations could not be reached immediately outside regular business hours. (Reporting by Rishika Sadam in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler)


Source:  http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/05/31/europe-carbon-un-idUKL1N0YM0KI20150531?rpc=401

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