Why BP’s North Sea sale isn’t what everyone thinks it is

The oil giant is expanding its asset sales beyond renewables

This column is for Callaway Climate Insights subscribers only, but it’s OK to share once in a while. Was it shared with you? Please subscribe.

Firefighters tackle wildfires that have been burning in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park since mid-July. Photo: Cairngorms National Park/Dave Morris.

EDINBURGH (Callaway Climate Insights) — I spent the past week in Scotland on a long-planned golf trip, expecting some cool respite from the extreme heat plaguing Europe and the U.S. this summer. I was surprised to see wildfires raging in the highlands.

While the news shows were full of dramatic fire footage from France and even Suffolk down near London, a month of dry weather had also triggered fires in Cairngorms National Park up by Inverness and even just outside of Edinburgh itself on the craggy volcanic outcrop they call Arthur’s Seat.

Indeed, if there is any sign that wildfires are now a worldwide problem, this is it. But against this emergency backdrop, the UK was instead consumed with the need to drill for more oil in the North Sea.