The Climate Accountability Scorecard

The report evaluates several major fossil fuel companies—including BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, and CONSOL Energy—on their accountability regarding climate change. It uses a scoring system to measure the accuracy of their public statements, their governance policies to prevent disinformation, and their responses to shareholder resolutions. The findings indicate a wide disparity in corporate behavior, with some companies like Shell and BP acknowledging the need for emissions reductions, while others like ExxonMobil and Chevron are flagged for misrepresenting science or actively blocking shareholder efforts to address climate risks.

• Royal Dutch Shell and BP are among the few companies evaluated that acknowledge the necessity of reducing emissions to limit global temperature rise. Shell is rated as 'Advanced' for highlighting the urgency of achieving global net-zero CO2 emissions to keep temperature rise well below 2°C, while BP is rated 'Good' for affirming the need for swift and deep reductions in emissions from burning fossil fuels.
• ExxonMobil is rated as 'Egregious' for misrepresenting climate science, specifically through CEO Rex Tillerson's public statements that discredited the accuracy and reliability of predictive climate models.
• Chevron and ConocoPhillips are both rated as 'Egregious' for attempting to block climate-related shareholder resolutions. Chevron filed 'No Action' letters with the SEC in 2015 and 2016 to block resolutions regarding portfolio impacts of climate policies and dividend policies related to stranded assets.
• A systemic lack of internal governance to prevent the spread of climate disinformation is evident across the evaluated companies; none of the listed companies—including BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, and CONSOL Energy—had a policy or commitment on record to avoid involvement in spreading climate science disinformation.
• Coal companies such as Arch Coal and Peabody Energy acknowledge the scientific evidence of climate change but do not affirm the need for swift and deep reductions in emissions from burning fossil fuels.
• CONSOL Energy is noted for its lack of transparency and engagement, as it does not address climate science on its company website in any prominent or easily accessible page.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). The Climate Accountability Scorecard. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/10/climate-accountability-scorecard-appendix-renouncing-disinformation.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. The Climate Accountability Scorecard. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/10/climate-accountability-scorecard-appendix-renouncing-disinformation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=The Climate Accountability Scorecard |date=October 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/10/climate-accountability-scorecard-appendix-renouncing-disinformation.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016climate, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{The Climate Accountability Scorecard}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/10/climate-accountability-scorecard-appendix-renouncing-disinformation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }