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Our goal is no damage to the environment; our challenge is to achieve this while continuing to deliver energy products that support growth and social development around the world
Climate change
In 2002 BP set a new target for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: to maintain net emissions, adjusted for any change in our portfolio, at 2001 levels.
We define net emissions as: BP's operational emissions less any emission reductions we help to create through our GHG friendly products and more efficient product management.
Our operations:
We achieved our 1998 target through improved efficiency, the use of innovative technology, and better energy management. For example, we now have one of the lowest unit rates of gas flaring in our industry.
We expect further efficiency improvements to eliminate around half of any emissions growth we would otherwise create through organic growth of our business. We believe we can improve the energy efficiency of operations by 10% to 15% within ten years.
Our energy products:
Emissions from BP products are currently about 15 times higher than those from BP operations. We produce cleaner, more efficient products, but paradoxically these often require more energy-intensive manufacturing processes - so emissions from operations have to increase to deliver products that reduce global emissions.
We think this trade-off is worth making - the relative emissions reductions our climate friendly products deliver in future should outweigh any increases in our own operational emissions.
For example, we have more than doubled our gas sales since 1998. Other, lower carbon-content fuels are also important to our long-term growth strategy, including renewable energy and hydrogen.
Our customers:
We work hard to develop and promote fuel-efficient technology. BP premium grade lubricants deliver fuel efficiency benefits; our polymers, used to manufacture lighter vehicles, also support fuel efficiency. We communicate with our customers providing information on our cleaner and more efficient products. Together these initiatives are helping the energy we supply go further.
Conservation:
Conserving the environments in which we operate is a fundamental part of our strategy to build a sustainable business: we take our responsibilities seriously and work in partnership to promote conservation worldwide. Key areas of focus would be in:
1. Biodiversity; where we treat every environment in which we operate as a unique situation.
2. Working in Sensitive Areas; All over the world, areas of land and sea have been designated, or are recognized, as being of particular biological, geological, topographical, historical, cultural or spiritual importance.
3. Water is a critical resource for BP and an aspect of the natural environment we work hard to protect.
Our products:
We aim to deliver cleaner fossil-fuel products and make sure they are used more eco-efficiently in the short-term; we support the transition to new energy 'models' such as the global gas economy or a truly 'renewable' world.
BP is one of the world's largest manufacturers of solar electric products and systems - working with clients in industry and also with governments and agencies involved in bringing electricity to remote areas beyond the reach of conventional energy supplies. We are also investing in wind power, having recently opened our first 22 MW wind farm in the Netherlands.
Developing cleaner fuels:
Our Cleaner Fuels Strategy - designed to improve local air quality - has led to the launch of cleaner alternatives to existing fuels in 119 cities to date, while 2003 saw the launch of BP Ultimate - an unleaded gasoline with twice the cleaning power of normal fuels that also delivers significant emissions reductions.
In Europe and the USA, we are front-runners in the development of ultra-low sulphur and sulphur-free fuels - now in use by bus fleets in London as part of our System City initiative. We are also involved in the development of fuel-efficient lubricants for car and heavy vehicle use - such as Elixion from our Castrol brand, which provides guaranteed fuel-efficiency benefits.
Using our products eco-efficiently:
We are also working hard to develop and promote cleaner fuels and fuel-efficient technology. We communicate with our customers, providing information on our cleaner and more efficient products. Our sales of natural gas, the cleanest-burning fossil fuel currently available, have more than doubled since 1998 and now represent over 50% of our total energy sales. While we await affordable renewable alternatives, we believe it makes environmental sense to improve access to gas and invest resources to develop other carbon efficient products such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen.Our operations:
We work hard to minimize the environmental impact of our operations: improving efficiency and investing in innovative technology at a local, regional and global level.
As such, key to our focus is that of Energy Efficiency, Air Emissions, Discharges to water, Spills, Decommissioning, Land Restoration, Green Office and Waste. In each of these areas, we have worked out solutions to reduce the environmental impact of our operations.
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