Sustainable Development at British Petroleum

The panel assessed the scientific reports on climatic changes caused by harmful human activities and stated that the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were increasing due to harmful human activities and suggested reduction of such emissions. The GCC was not in favor of taking any action to reduce the GHG emissions. BP was the first company to quit GCC. It also supported the Kyoto Protocol, which was an agreement entered into by the industrialized countries to reduce GHG emissions. In 1998, the company reduced the hydrocarbon emissions into the air by 15% from the 1997 levels. Its water discharges were reduced by 6% and the carbon dioxide emissions remained unchanged. However, it failed to control oil spills, which increased by 20% from the 1997 levels...

The company opened an Enterprise Center in Azerbaijan which, by 2004, provided 130 training courses, seminars, and workshops for 3,000 people belonging to the local companies. These courses incorporated many issues including health, safety, and accounting. BP began oil exploration and production in Columbia in 1987. It had oil fields in Cusiana and Cupiagua. Between 1994 and 1996, BP faced protests from the Columbian government and the Human Rights Watch for its operations in that country. It faced accusations of polluting the environment and had to pay a fine of $ 276,000 to the Columbian government in 1994 for destroying the environment. BP also had to face protests from the human rights activists...