World needs urgent assessment of the realities facing the energy system, BP CEO says

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BP CEO Bernard Looney photographed successful Texas connected March 8, 2022. During a sheet treatment connected Oct. 31, 2022, Looney said his firm's strategy was to "to put successful hydrocarbons today, due to the fact that today's vigor strategy is simply a hydrocarbon system."

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BP's strategy is centered astir investing successful hydrocarbons whilst simultaneously putting wealth into the planned vigor transition, the lipid and state supermajor's CEO said Monday.  

"What the satellite needs, much than ever close now, is simply a speech and a bid of actions that are progressive successful the practicalities and realities of contiguous and tomorrow," Bernard Looney, who was appearing connected a sheet treatment moderated by CNBC's Hadley Gamble, said.

"And by that I mean, our strategy arsenic BP — which we're executing successful the U.K., we're moving connected present successful the Middle East and we're doing it successful the United States and crossed the satellite — is to put successful hydrocarbons today, due to the fact that today's vigor strategy is simply a hydrocarbon system," helium added.   

Speaking astatine the Adipec league successful Abu Dhabi, Looney said his institution was "obviously trying to nutrient those hydrocarbons with the lowest imaginable emissions" whilst astatine the aforesaid clip investing successful "accelerating the vigor transition."

"And we're doing that successful Britain, we're doing that successful the United States, we're doing it here," helium said, namechecking c capture, electrical conveyance charging, hydrogen and offshore wind.

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A large shaper of lipid and gas, BP says it's aiming to go a net-zero institution by the twelvemonth 2050 oregon before. It's 1 of galore large firms to person made a net-zero pledge successful caller years.

While specified commitments gully attention, really achieving them is simply a immense task with important fiscal and logistical hurdles. The devil is successful the item and goals tin often beryllium airy connected the latter.

Looney's comments connected investing successful hydrocarbons travel astatine a clip erstwhile precocious illustration figures specified arsenic U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres are making their feelings connected fossil fuels known.   

In June, for example, Guterres slammed caller backing for fossil substance exploration. He described it arsenic "delusional" and called for an abandonment of fossil substance finance.

Fossil fuels' effect connected the situation is considerable. The United Nations says that, since the 19th century, "human activities person been the main operator of clime change, chiefly owed to burning fossil fuels similar coal, lipid and gas."

Back successful Abu Dhabi, BP's Looney referenced the warfare successful Ukraine arsenic helium sought to marque the lawsuit for processing a strategy focused connected a scope of sources and priorities.

"There is simply a saying that wars bash 2 things: wars reveal, and wars accelerate," helium said.

"And 1 of the things that it has revealed is that whenever we absorption connected conscionable 1 thing, it tin extremity up being a problem," helium went connected to say.

Expanding connected his point, Looney said that if he'd "asked anybody successful Europe 2 oregon 3 years agone what they wanted from vigor they would astir exclusively person said net-zero."

"If I inquire them contiguous what they privation from energy, they volition inevitably archer you they privation an vigor strategy that works."

An vigor strategy that worked, helium argued, was "an vigor strategy that provides the satellite — Europe successful this illustration — with unafraid energy, affordable vigor and cleaner energy."

What the satellite needed, helium aboriginal added, was a program that didn't solely code lowering emissions but information and affordability too.

"We should beryllium precise optimistic here," helium added, going connected to enactment that "many of the things that volition assistance vigor security, assistance a cleaner vigor system."

"Offshore upwind is local, hydrogen tin beryllium local, EV charging, electrifying transport, is local, bioenergy is section — truthful the things that lend to a little c system besides lend to vigor security."

"And if we person a much diversified system, implicit time, we should person a much affordable system."

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