WIBU to work for a sustainable project for BP?

[SaturdayBiscuits]

I work as a contractor, my current contract has just finished. A contract has come up with BP on a sustainability project.

BP's products contribute to climate change and in the past I've refused to work for Shell. But this project is a sustainable one - something that will take BP in the right direction.

I can't work out, ethically, whether it's okay to work for a fossil fuels company if it's to help them move away from fossil fuels, or whether it's a bad thing to do (from a green perspective). I care about the environment and planet and want what's best for it.

YABU - BP are horrific, don't go near them
YANBU - the project is sustainable, you'll be helping them become better

I'd take it. Is it any more dubious working for them than it is working for the many companies that supply or are supplied by them? (I work for one of those)

I know a BP employee - from what I understand BP are moving towards being an “energy company” as in green energy and away from being an “oil and gas company”.

If you become part of achieving that then surely it’s a good thing.

That's interesting BorsetshireBanality, and thanks for your view jeaux90

As BorsetshireBanality said, BP are investing heavily in renewables and reducing the amount of oil they produce. Why would they not? They know renewables are the future, and they want their business to still be around in 20 years time. In the meantime, the gas they're producing is helping us to keep warm and reducing our reliance on Russian exports, and the oil they produce is used for a wide range of products, not just for fuelling cars. Maybe read their company report to find out more about their strategy.

I’d probably do it if the job sounded interesting- if a contractor it won’t be a long term move will it?

my dh would give a firm no however.

we’re EV owners and BP’s EV chargers are totally balls and poorly maintained so we don’t really buy the “changing our focus” story tbh.
doesn’t ever seem to be a problem with the petrol pumps

YABU, you're a mercenary contractor so you go where the money is (I say this as an ex contractor myself 😂).

In all seriousness though I just have a problem with energy companies as they're really bending us over at the minute and are generally blood sucking bastards. Therefore, even I'd not contract for them, no matter how much the rates were.

Name changed as could be outing.

I previously worked for BP. It has long invested in renewable energy. The issue was that back in the noughties it was very difficult to turn a profit from renewables. There was always a tension between trying to become a sustainable, future-focused company (particularly under Lord Browne) and trying to be a company that would make money. However, if you look back at ad campaigns from the noughties you will see that it has long described itself as an energy company rather than just an oil and gas company.

As pp said, BP knows that oil isn't the future. In the time I worked there it never denied that fossil fuels played a significant role in climate change. (It was far more accepting of the science than, say, the Daily Mail at the time.) It was quite open about the fact that the 'oil age' would come to an end.

If it can turn a profit from solar energy or whatever, it will do it. At the same time, it is a business, not a charity and cannot just close down the core part of the business that makes the money. (And yes, that has led to some questionable decision-making as to some of its operations - I certainly don't support everything the company has done over the last 15 years.)

If you have the opportunity to help the company move towards sustainability, I would do it if I were you.