Time for nature

The tagline for today’s UN World Environment Day is “Time for Nature”. With large parts of the world emerging from lockdown this could not be more fitting.

I’m sure we’ve all noticed clearer skies and fresher air recently. It’s something I took for granted growing up on a farm. And these past few weeks have been a reminder of how important it is.

This year’s theme for World Environment Day is biodiversity. The rate of loss in the diversity of our species, habitats and ecosystems around the world is unquestionably on an unsustainable path – and change is needed.

So today we are publishing a new bp position on biodiversity.

We will aim to achieve a net positive impact on biodiversity in our new projects and aim to enhance biodiversity around our existing major operating sites.

And, for the first time, we are defining ‘no-go’ areas for bp operating new oil and gas exploration and production in:

• UNESCO World Heritage sites; or
• Strict Nature Reserves or Wilderness Areas, as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and designated on the 1 January 2020. 

I want to thank Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, UNESCO, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other valued nature organisations and experts for the valuable input and challenge they provided as we developed our new position.

Today opens a new chapter in our approach to biodiversity. Because along with climate change, loss of biodiversity is one of the greatest threats the world faces.

The two are linked. Destruction of sensitive ecosystems is reducing their ability to take carbon out of the atmosphere - making it harder to tackle climate change. And in turn, a changing climate can threaten precious animal and plant species.

Our welfare is intimately tied to the health of the natural world. Supplies of food, medicine, clothing and raw materials are all at risk as biodiversity declines.

So for bp, biodiversity is more than just an ‘add-on’. It is a vital part of our purpose to reimagine energy for people and our planet.

Putting our new biodiversity position into practice will involve working across many projects, in many countries, and over many years. We will need to do it in ways that enable us to stay strong, to keep playing our part in helping the world get to (carbon) net zero. We will need help. We are looking to establish partnerships with global and local conservation organisations to support us as we move forward.  

And as we work, we will aim to be transparent about our progress in key areas and will welcome support and challenge from investors, academia and conservation organizations.

I look forward to sharing updates on our progress and how biodiversity and other issues fit into our wider approach to sustainability and our business.

But for now, stay safe and do take some time for nature if you can.