BP’s abandoned climate goal may cost 72,000 lives, watchdog alleges
"BP’s climate u-turn set to cause 72,000 extra heat deaths", 16 April 2025
"Fossil fuel giant BP’s recent scrapping of its 2030 interim target to reduce production is estimated to cause 72,000 additional heat deaths by the end of this century driven by increased emissions from burning more oil and gas, new Global Witness analysis shows. The target was to cut oil and gas production by 40% by the end of 2030 relative to 2019.
The analysis, which uses the mortality cost of carbon methodology, also looked at the impact until 2050 of BP scrapping its 2030 target to reduce production. If the oil firm stuck to its original target for the next 25 years, approximately 409,000 additional heat deaths could be avoided by the end of the century.
The net zero target BP originally set in 2020 committed the firm to cutting oil and gas production by 40% by 2030. The fossil fuel firm reduced this to 25% in 2023. Now they have scrapped the climate goal altogether.
The analysis comes amid steady criticism from a portion of investors over BP's recent climate u-turn, ahead of their upcoming AGM this Thursday (17 April). A group of institutional investors representing a reported £5 trillion in assets demanded a vote on the firm’s climate strategy at the company’s upcoming AGM, but BP appears to have denied their request.
Another activist investor group, Follow This, have called for a vote on the BP Chair’s reappointment, over the firm’s scrapping of green targets.
BP’s change in strategy means that the company’s increased emissions until the end of 2030 are likely to add approximately 72,000 heat deaths by the end of the century. Between 2031 and 2050, the recent strategy reset will likely result in an additional 338,000 heat deaths. In total, their increase in production from now until the end of 2050 will likely contribute an estimated additional 409,000 heat deaths.
BP did not respond to requests for comment...."