The Oil Industry’s Response to Climate Change Criticism

Hialeah, Florida-based MacMillan Oil Company has serviced South and Central Florida’s fuel needs since 1951. MacMillan Oil Company’s primary function is to distribute oil to retail, government, residential, industrial, and agricultural users, among other entities.

Oil has been a part of the American discourse since becoming a vehicle for transportation. American reliance on oil has gradually increased over the years with some states (i.e. California) creating emissions laws as a result of the smog that results from freeway traffic. In Florida, tourism contributes to the state is third in the amount of fuel used for cars and sixth for use of jet fuel, illustrating American reliance on oil in other parts of the country.

In recent years, though, the entire industry’s reputation has suffered from criticisms related to climate change. Much of this criticism relates to the fact that many in the environmentalist community believe that oil companies are not willing to make improvements to save profits. Others say change is not coming fast enough.

Amid this criticism, there has been an effort to change the impact that burning fossil fuels, namely oil, has on the planet. For one, a number of the major oil companies have already acknowledged the need to take corrective (preventative) action to counteract the effects of burning fossil fuels on the environment. Moreover, these companies are researching ways to reduce the effects of fossil fuel.

Much of the research and efforts have focused on reducing the amount of methane released in the environment and finding ways to counteract fuel emissions. Methane emissions occur when oil is drilled out of the ground and transported, and companies are finding ways to reduce these emissions. Other companies decided that planting trees can counteract the effects of fuel extraction. For example, a company in Italy has decided that developing a large forest will reduce emissions to net-zero by 2030.