Alexis Thélémaque, Vice President, Corporate Image & Brand
The Paris Agreement, approved by 195 delegations on December 12, 2015 at the COP21 climate change conference, came into effect November 4, 2016.
The aim to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 is now established. We must therefore drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and find solutions to offset them via carbon sinks such as forests and oceans and through carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS).
Total, a non-State stakeholder committed to better energy, supports governments and parties to the Paris Agreement in their efforts to attenuate climate change and confirms its mission to provide affordable, reliable and clean energy to as many people as possible.¹
In addition, we are conducting an active policy of partnerships to accelerate the emergence of solutions. Some are strategic, such as our participation in the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI)², which brings together 10 oil and gas majors and puts a priority on CCUS, reducing methane emissions and enhancing energy efficiency. Others are lower profile, such as our commitment for the third consecutive year to Sparknews and partner media outlets in the Solutions&Co campaign, which is designed to highlight emerging and innovative climate solutions around the world. These solutions can be a source of inspiration for a group such as Total, and Total can also help them grow.
This year, we’ve chosen the theme of the circular economy, which works towards responsible and efficient resource management. At Total, this is for example implemented in the field of petrochemicals via the circular compounds concept, which enables us to produce recycled plastic of a quality similar to that of virgin plastic. On the retail side, Total is focusing on responsible consumption, which involves helping customers use products more efficiently with the Total Ecosolutions Label. Lastly, the transition to the circular economy requires accelerating CCUS R&D partnerships, as illustrated just recently by the Northern Lights Project.
In order for the Paris Agreement to be effective and reach its objectives as from 2020, a system to reassess each party’s contributions is planned for 2018. Giving the projects chosen by Solutions&Co a chance to grow also allows Total to give impetus to the social and environmental progress initiatives led by our Civil Society Engagement Division.
1.See our commitments on total.com:
- Integrating climate into our strategy
- Protecting our local environment
- Our commitments and improvement indicators
2.OGCI/Oil and Gas Climate Initiative: http://www.oilandgasclimateinitiative.com/
