Fuel on the fire: why oil companies are profiting as the world gets dangerously hot

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>The scientific consensus is that burning fossil fuels drives the climate crisis, yet the world’s biggest oil companies are planning to increase production</p><p>As the world swelters in ever more dangerous heat, why are oil companies being allowed to turn up the gas instead of paying for the consequences of their greed?</p><p>That ought to be the question on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/22/europe-record-heatwave-temperatures-forecast-reach-44c">everyone’s minds amid baking heat domes</a> over much of the northern hemisphere, temperature records being smashed day after day, children dying in locked cars, hospitals filling with <a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/delhi/2026/May/23/more-than-20-heatstroke-cases-reach-hospitals-as-capital-simmers-at-43c">heatstroke victims</a> and emergency services tackling wildfires.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/07/big-oil-companies-profiting-fossil-fuel-global-climate-change">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.