There’re ch-ch-ch-changes at ExxonMobil. On Monday, the oil large introduced main shakeups in the way it will do enterprise shifting ahead—and continued its makes an attempt to persuade the general public that it’s working in the direction of a brighter local weather future. The firm is relocating workplaces, restructuring, and touting a brand new flashy however doubtful “low carbon” division.

Exxon’s shifting its workplaces from its storied headquarters positioned in Irving, Texas since the 1990s. The firm’s leaders will now not be targeting the campus dubbed the “God Pod,” so named throughout the firm for the top-down tradition of govt involvement and micromanaging. (Some of the selections made by “God Pod” executives include deceiving the public on the actual cost of greenhouse gas emissions.) Exxon’s management will transfer to a sequestered workplace in a suburb of Houston, whereas the remainder of the staff will relocate elsewhere within the metropolis. Exxon has had a reasonably abysmal previous couple of years, as rising debt through the pandemic compelled it to change financial course. Saving slightly cash on lease is smart.

In tandem, the corporate mentioned Monday it might be reorganizing into three separate streams—an upstream division for its oil and fuel manufacturing; a “Product Solutions” department for plastics and different varieties of gasoline; and, extremely, “ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions,” which, according to the company, has a purpose to take a position $3 billion in “lower-emission energy solutions” over the following 4 years.

The firm’s low-carbon division was shaped simply final 12 months, so this promotion to a full separate department is a reasonably large step ahead—and comes only a couple weeks after Exxon lastly trotted out a plan to get to internet zero by 2050. Exxon took a reasonably robust and sustained public beating final 12 months when it got here to local weather, with shareholders voting to overthrow the corporate’s board in May and a damning sting exposing how Exxon manipulated politicians in June. It’s not a attain to say this reorganization is unquestionably an try from the corporate to ship a message that it actually cares about local weather. (Houston, the place a lot of the corporate is relocating, is not only a world oil and fuel hub, however can also be the positioning of the corporate’s much-touted proposed carbon seize venture: a $100 billion plan to create an unlimited carbon seize and storage facility for the large cluster of oil and fuel refineries there.)

Never thoughts that lots of the applied sciences that type the spine of this new division are significantly questionable and, in some instances, may very well enhance emissions. Never thoughts that the corporate’s internet zero plan might not do something past make them extra environment friendly at drilling for oil and fuel. Never thoughts that “low carbon” is a largely bullshit time period that doesn’t actually imply something. Never thoughts that a few of these “lower-emission energy solutions” will probably be created to support operations at the company’s other two divisions—specifically, growing barely much less polluting applied sciences that might preserve oil flowing and vitality pouring into new plastic manufacturing. Never thoughts that the House Oversight Committee has as soon as once more referred to as ExxonMobil brass in addition to the heads of different oil majors again into Congress subsequent week to testify again as a part of its investigation into Big Oil’s local weather misinformation, after Exxon evaded questions and raked in reward from Republicans final October.

And by no means thoughts that the current spike in oil costs gave the struggling firm a worthwhile fourth quarter final 12 months, making shares rise for the first time since April 2019—and displaying the place the corporate’s actual monetary powerhouse will proceed to lie. For all of the lip service Exxon may begin paying to “low-carbon technologies,” it’s necessary to recollect: it’s nonetheless an oil firm, by and thru.