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Your first question concerns our future operations in the Western area of the UK Continental Shelf. We will continue to be active on the UK Continental Shelf, and we will do so strictly in line with the UK Government's regulations. We are fully aware that the Western area of the UKCS is an important habitat for marine life. We have a considerable fund of experience in other, equally sensitive offshore areas of the world, where we have successfully co-operated with environmental groups, academics and fisheries organisations to ensure that we do not damage the ecosystem. We will continue to use that experience on the UKCS. Your second question concerns the use of fossil fuels in the future. As you know, global climate change has occurred naturally for many thousands of years and will continue to do so. The precise impact of human activity on climate is not yet known. However it is simply not possible at this juncture in human history to eliminate fossil fuels. We and the industry as a whole, together with all responsible businesses, governments and individuals, fully recognise that minimising the global effect of human activities on the environment is a complex problem in which everyone has a role to play. Oil and gas has brought many economic and social benefits (jobs, products and mobility) to people in the UK and worldwide, and they will continue to be necessary in the future, both in developed and developing countries. To simply phase them out would be a simplistic and impractical approach, but we fully subscribe to the goal of environmentally and socially sustainable growth which was set out by the Brundtland Commission. We also endorse a recent remark by John Battle, the new Energy Minister, when he advocated a greater role for renewable energy "as part of a diverse and sustainable long-term energy supply". Over the long term alternative energy forms will exist alongside fossil fuels and each source will be used for the purpose to which it is best suited. Concerning your third question, emissions reduction is a complex issue. It involves the transfer of modern technologies to developing countries, the evolution of new technologies and changes in practices by governments, businesses and individuals. As a company and as part of the industry we will continue to play a part in the worldwide debate about how to reduce emissions in a manner and a timeframe which are sensible and economically feasible for all concerned. Yours sincerely
Steve G. Suellentrop
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