DR. DOMINIC EMERY

Oil and gas companies, along with any company engaged in the production and burning of fossil fuels, must cease these activities if we are to have any hope of reaching net zero by 2050, which is only 26 years away. The pace of change needs to be extremely rapid. Currently, the world is emitting about 55 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent, with 70% of this coming from fossil fuels, which provide 80% of our energy. Demand for energy continues to grow due to increasing populations. However, we must bring down the 55 gigatons of emissions to net zero by 2050, even though emissions are still on the rise, albeit at a slower pace. In short, oil, gas, and coal must become relics of the past.

Dominic Emery is a geologist by background. He has a PhD from the University of Cambridge and MA from the University of Oxford. He was the founding CEO of OGCI Climate Investments, a $1bn fund set up by the world’s largest oil and gas companies to invest in technologies and projects to reduce carbon emissions. He joined bp Alternative Energy in 2007 and ran Emerging Businesses & Corporate Ventures in 2012. In 2013, he was appointed Head of Group Strategy prior to his appointment as Chief of Staff in early 2020 at the start of the biggest transformation in bp’s history and was Chief of Staff at bp until 2022. Since retiring from the company, he advises on the energy transition, working with large energy companies, start-ups and consultancies. He is a Senior Fellow with the World Economic Forum, Mission Possible Partnership and Cambridge University Judge Business School, and holds board positions with three companies.