FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Stefanie Spear, sspear@asyousow.org, 216-387-1609

OAKLAND, CA—May 21, 2019—Today, 99 percent of BP shareholders voted in support of a resolution drafted by Climate Action 100+, a group of 300 investors with more than $33 trillion in assets under management, calling for the oil giant to align its business strategy with the 2015 Paris Agreement. The global accord aims to keep global warming "well below" 2 degrees Celsius.

The resolution asked BP to report how its business strategy is consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement, including:

• How the company evaluates new capital expenditures to be aligned with the Paris Agreement

• What metrics and targets have been set to be consistent with those goals for reducing emissions to below 2°Celsius, below pre-industrial levels

• Reporting on the estimated carbon intensity of BP’s energy products

• Linking its climate targets with executive pay

Danielle Fugere, president of As You Sow, had this to say about today’s vote:

“Today’s vote signals clear and uncompromising investor intent that BP take immediate and critical action to reduce its climate change emissions. Those reductions must be aligned with Paris goals designed to maintain global temperatures at levels that avoid catastrophic impacts. The vote signals that time for action is short and business-as-usual is unacceptable.

“To be aligned with Paris goals means adopting fundamental changes in the way business is done across the full scope of its activities — from operational emissions, to invested emissions, and product emissions. To align with Paris goals, BP will need to adopt clean energy production, further diversify its business, shrink current investments in oil and gas development, adopt a combination of these actions, or otherwise reduce its full range of greenhouse gas emissions.”

BP opposed a second, stronger climate proposal today asking for targets on “Scope 3” emissions — which are emissions from use of its products.

“Unfortunately, the company refuses to follow Shell’s lead in taking responsibility for product emissions. Shell is the only major oil and gas company that has set a target to reduce the intensity of its ‘Scope 3’ emissions,” Fugere said. “While Shell has only agreed to relative reductions in ‘Scope 3’ emissions, not absolute reductions as needed to achieve the Paris goal — BP has so far refused to address emissions from its products at all, a position that makes Paris compliance impossible to achieve.”

For more information on As You Sow’s work on climate change, click here.

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As You Sow is a nonprofit organization that promotes environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies. Click here to see As You Sow’s shareholder resolution tracker.