Some of the big international producers in Canada's oil sands sector have issued a call for governments around the world to adopt carbon pricing in order to avoid the most devastating effects of a changing climate, acknowledging the strategy would hurt demand for emissions-intensive sources of crude.

In a joint letter released Monday, the chief executive officers from Europe's top six oil companies said their companies are already taking action to reduce emissions, but want to see stronger policy signals from governments around the world, including a carbon price either through emissions caps and trading systems, or carbon taxes.

"If governments act to price carbon, this discourages high carbon options and encourages the most efficient ways of reducing emissions widely," they said. Those options include reducing demand for the most carbon-intensive fossil fuels – including coal and unconventional crude such as oil sands – greater energy efficiency, substitution of gas for coal, and increased investment in carbon capture technology, renewable energy and cleaner transportation systems.

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The signatory companies were Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Total SA, Statoil ASA, Eni SpA, BP PLC and BG Group PLC, and the letter was sent to United Nations climate czar Christiana Figueres and French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laurent Fabius, who will chair the Paris summit in December aimed at reaching a global agreement on climate change. The companies acknowledge that carbon pricing will add costs to their production and products, but say it would provide a clear and efficient means to address the growing crisis.

U.S. supermajors Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. chose not to sign on to the effort of their European colleagues. Their absence reflects a continuing division in the global oil business, with European companies taking public positions that are far more amenable to climate action, while American ones continue to resist.

Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson recently urged caution in adopting costly policies to move off fossil fuels, saying climate models that predict calamity may be wrong and "solutions will present themselves as those challenges become clear."

In Canada, Suncor Energy Inc. CEO Steve Williams recently endorsed the need for a "broad-based carbon price," while Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. warned it needed to review its investment intentions owing to uncertainty over the New Democratic Party government's plans for taxes and environmental regulations, including greenhouse gas (GHG) levies. Alberta now imposes a $15-a-tonne levy on oil emissions when they exceed a regulated limit, but the actual cost is typically less than 20 cents a barrel. That regulation expires later this month and Premier Rachel Notley must decide whether to strengthen them or extend them while her new government reviews the situation.

The federal government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently released Canada's pledge to reduce emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, along with proposed regulations targeting methane emissions and chemical manufacturers. But Ottawa continues to rebuff calls for tougher regulations on the oil sands. In advance of the Group of Seven meeting in Germany this month, Germany's ambassador Werner Wnendt told CBC this weekend that Canada will have to "confront" its GHG challenge in the oil sands.

For its part, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers would not endorse the call for carbon pricing. In an e-mailed statement, CAPP said the industry aims to reduce GHG emissions per barrel of oil, and per unit of natural gas, through the adoption of new technology.

But it said any change to regulations must be "technically achievable and economically sustainable while maintaining the competitiveness of Canada's oil and natural gas sector."

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Shell, Total, BP and Statoil all have significant investments in the oil sands that could be hurt if the global climate effort reduced the demand for high-carbon fossil fuels. But the six companies are also major players in the global gas business – with Shell and BG in particular taking a leadership position in liquefied natural gas (LNG) production that could supplant coal for electricity generation in Asia.

"We firmly believe that carbon pricing will discourage high carbon options and reduce uncertainty that will help stimulate investment in the right low carbon technologies and the right resources at the right place," the letter concluded.