ExxonMobil’s CEO Reminds Policymakers That Energy Reality Can’t Be Ignored

As world leaders gather in Brazil for the COP30 climate conference, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods stated: Oil and gas will continue to play “a critical role in everybody’s life for a long time to come.” Speaking at the Sustainable Innovation Forum in São Paulo, Woods reminded policymakers that while energy systems will evolve, hydrocarbons are far more than just fuel; they are the foundation of modern civilization.

From medical equipment and pharmaceuticals to plastics, clothing, and food packaging, oil-derived products power and protect the infrastructure of daily life. Woods made clear that future technologies may one day reduce the need to burn hydrocarbons, but eliminating their broader use is impossible. “The question is, do you continue to combust them? And that, I think, will change with time,” he said, underscoring that innovation, not prohibition, should guide the world’s energy transition.

Woods also called out a glaring flaw in current climate policy: the lack of credible carbon accounting. “Without a mechanism to accurately account for the carbon that’s being emitted across economies, net zero is just a slogan,” he said. His comments highlight a growing frustration within the energy industry that political goals are being set without the technological or logistical tools to achieve them.

Oil is indispensable. As the California Independent Petroleum Association has argued, the way forward is not about stopping oil production; it is about using it smarter, cleaner, and more responsibly. A message policymakers should listen to before the lights go out.