Dear Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), 

We are calling upon you to open an investigation into climate change as a Crime Against Humanity and to consider BP’s senior executives’ role in knowingly contributing to causing and perpetuating climate change. 

To us, it is beyond doubt that climate change is a crime against humanity. The increased risk and intensification of droughts, wildfires, storms, floods, the deterioration of nature and unstable weather patterns all cause harm to both physical and mental health, the spread of diseases, the displacement of populations, and mass death.

Evidence in the request to open an investigation submission suggests that BP’s senior executives had undeniable knowledge of the harm that climate change poses, and the suffering that will be directly caused by fossil fuel-induced climate change. With this knowledge,  BP’ senior executives committed, and continue to commit, acts pursuant to their common purpose of maximising petroleum profits, regardless of the infliction of climate change-induced human suffering. 

The submission evidence alleges that BP’s senior executives acted illegally through spreading doubt in climate change science, entrenching dependency on their fossil fuel products, causing delay to climate action, creating deception within the true solutions to climate change, and ensuring dominance in the geopolitical space, BP’s senior executives knowingly contributed to a systematic and widespread attack committed against a civilian population and had knowledge of the attack. Nothing is more systematic than a corporate strategy to advance fossil fuel extraction and entrench global dependency on fossil fuels whilst intentionally designing marketing campaigns of misinformation, doubt, delays, deception and political dominance to entrench their petroleum products economically and socially.

BP’s CO2 emissions make it one of 90 companies responsible for two-thirds of emissions since the mid-18th century. They have directly contributed to climate change and inflicted mass loss and damage across humanity in the past, present and future. 

We implore you to consider the lives of those most vulnerable to climate change, past and present, that have suffered at the hands of climate change, and to open this investigation against British Petroleum’s senior executives. 

Sources can be found in the official submission document