How is the Oil Industry Listening to Greta Thunberg?

While industry experts and economic analysts usually have the most sway when it comes to advising the oil and gas industry, an outspoken teenage climate activist is also making her mark. Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg voiced her concerns for the health of the planet and future of her generation by staging a "School Strike for Climate" and leading protests outside the Swedish parliament.

The protests sparked a global youth movement and saw school children around the world initiate their own strikes and make demands for action on climate change. The movement quickly made headlines around the world and helped Thunberg deliver a resounding message that the oil and gas industry can't ignore.

“I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act,” she said in a recent speech made at the World Economic Forum.

16-year-old Swede calls on UK government to act on climate change

As well as targeting the Swedish parliament, the 16-year-old Swede criticised the UK for failing to cut carbon emissions and continuing to support new fossil fuel exploration projects. In a recent speech delivered to British MPs she accused the country of taking an "irresponsible" approach to climate change, an accusation that won attention from Oil and Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie.

Speaking at an industry conference, Michie assured Thunberg the country is listening to her concerns and views climate change as serious issue that must be addressed. "I would like to reassure Greta Thunberg - we are listening, because we want the world to be a better place too," she said. "And while we believe that our industry's global contribution has improved the lives of billions of people, we are clear that climate change is a real and present danger that we must deal with together."

Thunberg's message reaches UN Climate Change Conference

Thunberg's message has resounded across the globe and has transformed her from an environmentally conscious schoolgirl to an international figurehead in the fight against climate change. Over the past year she's voiced her concerns at a host of prestigious events, including the UN Climate Change Conference.

"We children are doing this to wake the adults up. We children are doing this for you to put your differences aside and start acting as you would in a crisis. We children are doing this because we want our hopes and dreams back," says Greta.

Amid growing concerns surrounding climate change, environmental responsibility is now a top priority for refineries. From monitoring smokestack emissions and analysing soil quality to managing groundwater pollution and cleaning up spills, 'Environmental housekeeping around the refinery' explores how the oil and gas industry is taking a proactive approach to climate change.