UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres addresses the media in New York, the US, August 1 2022. Picture: DAVID DEE DELGADO/REUTERSUN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Wednesday slammed the “grotesque greed” of oil and gas companies and their financial backers and urged governments globally to “tax these excessive profits” to support the most vulnerable people.
The two largest US oil companies, ExxonMobil and Chevron, British-based Shell and France’s TotalEnergies combined earned nearly $51bn in the most recent quarter, almost double what the group brought in for the year-ago period. “And I urge people everywhere to send a clear message to the fossil fuel industry and their financiers: that this grotesque greed is punishing the poorest and most vulnerable people, while destroying our only common home,” he said.
Last month, Britain passed a 25% windfall tax on oil and gas producers in the North Sea. US legislators have discussed a similar idea, though it faces long odds in Congress.
Greedy? Says an old goat with 3 chins