| Description: | BP: Burning Planet
'One way out of a reputational fix……is a sponsorship blitz'
- Fossil fuel-induced climate chaos hit Europe in August 2003, killing tens of thousands of mostly older people in record-breaking temperatures. 150,000 may have died worldwide.
- Beyond Petroleum? 'BP replaces 2008 production by 121% & aims to grow annual output through to 2020'; (BP Press Release March 2009)
- ‘BP profits soar 148%’, Guardian, 28.10.08. ‘Oil giant BP today beat analysts' forecasts as its reported a 148% surge in third-quarter profits to top $10bn (£6.5bn), boosted by record oil prices.’
- ‘BP and Shell have discussed with the government the prospect of claiming a stake in Iraq's oil reserves in the aftermath of war.’ Financial Times, 11.3.03.
- In 2007, BP bought 50% of the Sunrise oil tar sands field in Canada. Tar sands are most polluting of all the fossil fuels. ‘Fund managers attack BP over tar sands plan’, Times, 18.4.08 www.tarsandswatch.org
- ‘Exposed: BP, its pipeline, and an environmental time-bomb’, Independent (26.6.04) on BP’s US-inspired and protected Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil & gas pipelines, which will produce over 150m tonnes of CO2 each year for 40 years, causing untold damage to the world’s climate; baku.org.uk
- ‘BP slated for 'systemic lapses', FT, 18.8.05; 15 workers were killed and 500 injured in an explosion at BP’s Texas City refinery on March 23rd 2005.
- ‘BP doubles corporate ad budget in $150m bid for greener image’, Times, 28.12.05; BP invests 2.6% of its annual budget in solar & other renewable energy sources, much less than it ploughs into advertising and PR like its sponsorship of the Olympics, Tate, NPG, NHM etc.
- BP Solar announced the cutting of 620 jobs in April 2009, in an attempt to cut costs by 25% by the end of 2010. It expects to double manufacturing and sales this year compared with 2008.
- ‘Oil gushes into Arctic Ocean from BP pipeline’, 265,000 gallons, to be more exact. Independent, 21.3.06
- Community-controlled, post-capitalist renewable energy is already a reality, eg. escanda.org
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