Sustainability Discourse: How Oil and Gas Giants Are Transforming in the Context of the Transition to Low Carbon Economy
摘要
The main objective of this paper is to identify how European energy companies have changed their discourse surrounding climate change as a result of ever-increasing pressures by stakeholders, lawmakers, and the general public and whether or not the shift is backed by an actual reduction in greenhouse gases. With mounting calls for decarbonization and the increased scrutiny they face, are energy companies talking the talk or actually walking the walk? The study revealed a dramatic increase in climate-related talk in the annual reports of the companies analyzed, an increase that is also backed by a reduction in their direct emissions of greenhouse gases. The findings reveal the fact that companies are keen on letting the public know that they are reducing their greenhouse gases emissions and are no longer afraid of mentioning delicate topics for their business models, topics such as climate change.