BHP’s Climate Pledge Now Officially Renamed ‘Net-Zero By, Uh, Whenever’ After Leaked Docs Reveal ‘Brakes Slammed’ on Green Projects

World’s biggest miner publicly vows climate leadership while internal memos show it’s busy ‘war-gaming’ ways to delay solar panels until retirement age.

MELBOURNE — The world’s biggest miner, BHP, has quietly un‑pledged its climate pledges, putting key green projects on ice and internally modelling what executives call “the slowest possible path to net‑zero that still allows us to say we’re working on it,” according to a cache of leaked internal documents obtained by Guardian Australia and Four Corners.

The files — a mix of strategy memos, PowerPoint slides, and one remarkably frank email titled “Re: The smell of profit vs. the smell of virtue” — reveal that BHP has scrapped plans for a carbon‑capture facility that could have “actually done something,” and has indefinitely paused renewable energy projects meant to power its lucrative Pilbara iron ore operations. Instead, the company has been gaming out scenarios that push major climate investments into the 2030s or even 2040s, effectively rewriting its net‑zero target as “net‑zero when it’s convenient.”

One internal memo, stamped “FOR EMPHASIS,” explicitly instructs executives to “slam the brakes” on climate action, prioritising short‑term profits over long‑term planetary habitability. Another document, titled “Social License Management 2025 — Defer, Distract, Divert,” suggests BHP has wargamed how to appease shareholders and green groups without actually changing its operations. “The key is to announce big targets, then quietly push the deadlines back every two years,” the memo advises. “By 2050, everyone will be too busy with floating cities to remember what we promised.”

In response to the revelations, BHP’s chief sustainability officer, Penelope “Penny” Bright, offered a statement: “BHP remains fully committed to net‑zero by 2050 — or whatever year we end up deciding after further modelling. Our climate strategy is a living document, much like our emissions: constantly growing and evolving.”

The leaks have drawn sharp criticism from environmental groups, who note that BHP’s iron ore operations are among the company’s most profitable assets — and also among its dirtiest. “They’re essentially saying, ‘We’ll save the planet, just not with our biggest money‑maker,’” said Dr. Vera Green, director of the Climate Accountability Institute. “It’s like a dieter announcing a juice cleanse while secretly hoarding cheeseburgers in their desk drawer.”

Editor’s note: Kevin, who covers this beat, has been staring at the leaked documents for four hours and has concluded that BHP’s definition of “leadership” is “being slightly less awful than the other mining companies, but only on paper.” He has asked to clarify that he did not, in fact, throw his laptop out the window while reading the email about “Social License Management.”

Meanwhile, BHP’s board has reportedly scheduled a retreat to discuss “aligning our public narrative with our actual actions,” which one attendee described as “just an excuse to drink expensive wine in Margaret River while pretending to care about Scope 3 emissions.”

Ispirato da: Leaked internal documents reveal BHP has quietly stalled climate projects despite public pledges, delaying decarbonization of iron ore operations.

Categoria: Economia

Questo articolo è satira generata con l'ausilio di intelligenza artificiale e supervisione editoriale umana. Ogni riferimento a fatti reali è puramente parodico.
Broathcast Journal è un progetto del Daily Ethical Observer.