BP needs to do better – we require more than vague words about ‘reinvention’ to stop the climate crisis

The reaction to the announcement from the company’s new CEO has been less than positive – activists are right to worry, writes Chris Stevenson

A climate change activist demonstrates against BP (Reuters)

Any major company, particularly one involved in the oil industry, looking to make changes for the sake of the environment should be applauded. We are facing a climate crisis that needs urgent action.

What we don’t need is companies or governments making the type of vague promises that have been a staple for the last decade or longer. As any number of scientists and activist groups have made clear – a lack of action in the short term will have dire consequences.

It is a shame for BP then that they have fallen into the latter camp with its plan to become a net-zero company by 2050 or sooner, no matter how much spin the company’s CEO Bernard Looney tried to put on the announcement on Wednesday. “The world’s carbon budget is finite and running out fast; we need a rapid transition to net zero,” said Looney. “It will require nothing short of reimagining energy as we know it.”