Fossil Fuel Industry and Big Tech Pushing The Agenda
24 September, 2026
California, USA
In a briefing report ‘Distract, Delay, Deceive: Fossil Fuels, Big Tech, and California’s Emerging Carbon Removal Economy’ launched today, civil society groups are raising alarm bells on how California climate authorities are leaning hard into selling the illusion that climate pollution can be cleaned up after the fact while simultaneously deprioritizing pursuing emissions reductions at source.
The report by the international organization Biofuelwatch closely examines the dynamics surrounding how the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the primary agency responsible for climate policy in the state, is pursuing current rule making for speculative carbon removal technologies on the heels of making dramatic changes to the state’s carbon market, opening the door to the state directly subsidizing a wide array of unproven carbon management technologies.
The expansion of speculative carbon capture technologies as a central pillar to California’s approach to responding to climate change is accompanied by a litany of unresolved questions about real world climate benefits, long-term liability, financial assurances, monitoring, data access, and the consequences of accidents, environmental harms and corporate bankruptcy.
“Our investigation shows that current activities at CARB are focused strongly on promoting the illusion that climate pollution can be effectively cleaned up after the fact, exposing communities and natural ecosystems across the state to unprecedented risk and dangers,” said Gary Hughes of Biofuelwatch.
“This research raises alarms about how state regulators are downplaying the evidence that such speculative technologies, if built out and scaled up, would promise a variety of environmental and public health harms, without assurances of meeting climate objectives.”
Shockingly, Big Tech has emerged as the biggest sector of stakeholders lobbying CARB for establishing lenient rules for developing Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies.
“As emissions from the build out of data center infrastructure are skyrocketing, Californians are slowly waking up to the fact that under the leadership of California Governor Gavin Newsom the state has largely abandoned the pursuit of the immediate and deep emissions cuts that are required to adequately respond to climate change,” added Hughes of Biofuelwatch.
A CARB board meeting is being held Thursday, September 24 in Sacramento and will feature an ‘informational agenda item’ on current rule making, under the direction of the 2022 bill SB 905, for a “Carbon Capture, Removal, Utilization and Storage Program.”
“As our state government puts the fate of our people and ecosystems in jeopardy, we strongly urge them to be on the right side of history, and take into account how expanding carbon markets in the state, including speculative climate technologies, can cause more harm than help,” said Hughes of Biofuelwatch.
Additional Information
The report, titled Distract, Delay, Deceive: Fossil Fuels, Big Tech, and California’s Emerging Carbon Removal Economy, offers in depth analysis of how it is not only traditional heavy industry polluters that are taking advantage of how the state is doubling down on market and technology-based approaches to respond to climate change, and how Big Tech has emerged as the biggest sector of stakeholders lobbying CARB for establishing lenient rules for developing Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies. This independent and non-partisan research provides findings that can be used by activists, journalists, decision makers, and the general public to better decipher developments in what is an unprecedented and increasingly dangerous chapter of climate politics in the State of California. The report was made possible due to the support of Global Forest Coalition, Geoengineering Monitor, and the Hands Off Mother Earth Alliance. Independent researcher Dr. Tamra Gilbertson is the report’s principal author.
Important Resources
- Key takeaways from the report
- What is Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)
- What is Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
- Geoengineering Projects Tracker
About Biofuelwatch
Biofuelwatch provides research and undertakes advocacy and campaigning in relation to the climate, biodiversity, land use, human rights and public health impacts of large-scale bioenergy, technologies for producing biofuels, biochar, land-based approaches to climate geoengineering and more. Founded in 2007, Biofuelwatch has dedicated and experienced staff in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and longstanding collaborations with many allies around the world.
For media queries contact
Gary Hughes, Biofuelwatch (Phone: +1-707-223-5434 / email: garyhughes.bfw@gmail.com)