Chief executives from 10 of the world’s largest oil and gas groups, including Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, have vowed to do more to fight global warming ahead of the December UN climate conference in Paris. But their move failed to win backing from US energy companies, drew a lukewarm welcome from the French government hosting the talks and attracted charges of hypocrisy from green groups. It also received a cutting response from the coal industry, frustrated by fresh efforts to paint it as the fossil fuel sector’s chief climate villain. The 10 companies, representing a fifth of all oil and gas production worldwide, offered few concrete figures or forecasts but said they wanted to promote natural gas over coal and play a bigger role in renewable energy. They vowed to end routine gas flaring and to invest in carbon capture storage, which in theory offers a way for fossil fuel companies to keep burning coal or gas in power stations without affecting the climate. The companies, which all belong to the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, included BG Group, BP, Eni, Pemex, Reliance Industries, Repsol, Saudi Aramco, Shell, Statoil and Total. It was notable for it lack of US representation, with Chevron and Exxon Mobil declining to sign up.