Krishnamoorthi Presses BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and Shell to Reduce Carbon Emissions, Citing Evidence Linking Fossil Fuel Emissions to More Severe Wildfires

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today sent letters to the chief executive officers of BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and Shell urging each company to take immediate steps to reduce carbon emissions, citing growing scientific evidence linking fossil fuel emissions to increasingly severe wildfires.

In the letters, Krishnamoorthi writes:

"I am writing today urging you to take immediate steps to reduce carbon emissions, which have been directly linked to the increase in wildfires across North America. As communities across the nation endure dangerous air quality and the growing impacts of wildfire smoke, the oil and gas industry must acknowledge its role in intensifying this crisis and take immediate, meaningful steps to reduce emissions."

On July 16, wildfire smoke drifting south from Canada pushed Chicago's air quality to record levels, prompting public health warnings, event cancellations, and facility closures. The smoke spread across the Midwest and Northeast, exposing millions of Americans to hazardous air pollution.

The letters point to recent scientific research linking greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas industry to increasingly severe wildfires:

"Research clearly links wildfires to the heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions of the oil and gas industry. A 2023 study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters found that 37 percent of the total burned forest area in Western Canada and the United States between 1986 and 2021 can be traced back to 88 major fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers. These findings build on previous studies that have quantified the contribution of those same 88 companies to the increase in global temperatures."

Krishnamoorthi concludes that the industry must take responsibility for its role in worsening increasingly destructive wildfires:

"The hazardous air conditions experienced in Chicago and other cities show that wildfire impacts are no longer distant or abstract—they are disrupting daily life, harming health, and straining communities right now. These climate-driven fires demand meaningful action before the damage to our forests, our air, and our communities becomes irreversible. I call on you to take accountability, despite decades of industry denial, for your role in exacerbating the wildfires that threaten the health of millions of Americans."

Read the letters to BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and Shell.