Pandemic Crisis, Systemic Decline: Why Exploiting the COVID-19 Crisis Will Not Save the Oil, Gas, and Plastic Industries

The Center for International Environmental Law argues that the oil, gas, and plastic industries are in a state of systemic decline that predates the COVID-19 pandemic, and that government bailouts or regulatory rollbacks will not reverse this trend.

• The oil, gas, and plastic industries are experiencing a systemic decline that began before the coronavirus pandemic, though the pandemic and subsequent economic crisis have accelerated this collapse, leading to an average value loss of 45% for leading companies since the beginning of 2020.
• The report asserts that the underlying risks to the oil, gas, and plastic industries remain unchanged despite current crises, and that government bailouts and regulatory rollbacks are unable to reverse the industry's inevitable decline.
• The document provides recommendations against providing public subsidies, debt relief, or bailouts to petrochemical and fossil fuel companies, and advises institutional investors to eliminate exposure to these assets as risks now outweigh benefits.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2020). Pandemic Crisis, Systemic Decline: Why Exploiting the COVID-19 Crisis Will Not Save the Oil, Gas, and Plastic Industries. https://www.ciel.org/reports/pandemic-crisis-systemic-decline/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Pandemic Crisis, Systemic Decline: Why Exploiting the COVID-19 Crisis Will Not Save the Oil, Gas, and Plastic Industries. 2020. https://www.ciel.org/reports/pandemic-crisis-systemic-decline/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Pandemic Crisis, Systemic Decline: Why Exploiting the COVID-19 Crisis Will Not Save the Oil, Gas, and Plastic Industries |date=16 April 2020 |url=https://www.ciel.org/reports/pandemic-crisis-systemic-decline/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2020pandemic, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Pandemic Crisis, Systemic Decline: Why Exploiting the COVID-19 Crisis Will Not Save the Oil, Gas, and Plastic Industries}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ciel.org/reports/pandemic-crisis-systemic-decline/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }