Stand ups for climate action
BP people all around the globe took part in climate “stand ups” to coincide with the United Nations Climate Action Summit and Climate Week
On 23 September 2019, the United Nations hosted a climate action summit to boost ambition and accelerate actions to implement the Paris Agreement in order to meet the threat of climate change.
At the same time, many thousands of people chose to take part in a global climate strike to show their concerns about what is being done, and if it is being done fast enough.
At BP, employees around the world joined climate ‘stand up’ meetings in 40 different countries to ask questions, generate ideas and discuss the role of BP in a low carbon future.
While some critics say there is no role for oil and gas in a net zero world, BP believes we have a vital role in helping the world to get there. "We agree on much more than people realize,” said BP CEO Bob Dudley in his July 2019 Chatham House speech.
Why it matters
BP shares the concern about the future and the frustration about the pace of change that was expressed during the climate strikes. Data in BP's latest Statistical Review of World Energy shows that carbon emissions grew by 2.0% in 2018. That worrying expansion, due largely to energy demand increasing as a result of weather effects, is the fastest for seven or eight years. As Spencer Dale, BP Chief Economist, said at the launch of the Statistical Review of World Energy “But even if these weather effects are short lived, such that the growth in energy demand and carbon emissions slows over the next few years, the recent trends still feel very distant from the types of transition paths consistent with meeting the Paris climate goals.”
What’s next?
“There has to be a role [for BP] because of our experience in producing at scale all kinds of energy the world needs,” said Dudley. “Not just oil and gas but renewables as well. And because of our technical capabilities, financial resources and global reach, we're not just part of the future, we're an important part of the solution.”
Dudley is aware that the climate challenge is not something that any one company or sector can solve alone. Corporations, governments, activists and investors all have a part to play. “The challenges facing the world are too serious to polarise the debate and demonise one another. In order to progress we have to talk constructively,” he said. “Not broadcast our opinions at each other but really talk. That means taking the time to listen, understand each other's perspective and then work together to find the solutions. And fast.”
BP is acting across the business with many opportunities for graduates, engineers, digital specialists and many other career areas to help accelerate the transition to a lower carbon future.