Ian 's Story
Working in the Fossil Fuel Industry
I joined the industry in 1980, driven by a love of landscapes, geology and the idea of travelling the world. I had studied Earth Sciences at Leeds University, and at that time the oil and gas industry was one of the few places where you could combine scientific curiosity, outdoor work and international experience. My first role was with GSI in London, working on Aramco projects in Saudi Arabia.
Over the next 32 years, I worked for a number of companies, including Getty Oil, Texaco Denmark, BP and finally BG Group. Most of my career was spent as an exploration geophysicist, although I eventually became Global Exploration New Ventures Leader, assessing oil and gas basins across the world and trying to identify new ones with hydrocarbon potential.
Technically, it was a fascinating and creative industry. Exploration is like assembling a complex jigsaw puzzle, pulling together geological structure, source rocks, maturation, migration and trapping mechanisms, all within the right timing and economic constraints. After months or years of work, everything would be tested by drilling an extremely expensive well, and four times out of five the answer was that it did not work. That uncertainty was part of the challenge and appeal.
I also worked across a wide range of resources and technologies, including coal bed methane, shale gas, oil shales, carbon capture and sequestration analysis, and even global studies on methane hydrates. It was an industry that brought together people with very different skills and cultural backgrounds, and I met many people I still count as friends today, even though we no longer share the same views.
When I Realised It Was Time to Leave
The moment that changed everything for me came while assessing a farm-in opportunity in western Greenland. From a technical perspective, the opportunity looked promising. The geology was sound, and hydrocarbons were likely present. During the presentation, the company showed maps of the “operating window”, the limited periods each year when seismic data could be acquired or wells drilled in such a harsh environment.
What struck me was that the presenters were proudly showing how this operating window was expanding year on year over a 20-year period as the ice retreated further north. They were even expressing hope that the area might become entirely ice-free within a decade. There was no sense of irony, no acknowledgement of what that retreating ice represented, or of the industry’s role in driving those changes. I left the meeting feeling deeply uneasy.
Shortly after, I took a year-long sabbatical to properly investigate climate change. I reviewed the scientific literature, particularly the work of the IPCC, to confirm for myself that climate change was real, primarily caused by human activity, and likely to result in significant suffering if left unchecked. One conversation with my teenage child stayed with me. I mentioned concepts such as Milankovitch cycles, only to be told they had already been studying them at school. It became clear to me that the next generation understood the science and the implications far better than many in the industry acknowledged.
I realised that oil and gas had become a “dirty” industry in the eyes of younger generations, and that unless it fundamentally changed, its legacy would be one of denial and harm. After my sabbatical, I returned to work in a different group that had some funding for climate understanding and solutions, and I joined the company’s Climate Change Working Group. Despite this exposure, nothing I saw convinced me that the industry was prepared to change its core business model or prioritise climate action over profits. My personal values no longer aligned with corporate behaviour so when the opportunity for voluntary redundancy arose, I took it.
What I’m Doing Today
Since leaving the industry, I have worked on a voluntary basis, focusing on areas where I felt I could make a meaningful contribution. I have been involved with several charities, including The Prince’s Trust, Sue Ryder, and Launchpad Reading. I am also a Trustee and Chair for two wildlife and conservation groups.
In addition, I sit on the Steering Group for Mend the Gap alongside the CEOs of the Chilterns National Landscape and the North Wessex Downs. This initiative grew out of a campaign I started, and it focuses on landscape connectivity and conservation. I also work with other activists campaigning against pension fund investment in fossil fuel companies, particularly in Oxfordshire.
The skills I developed over decades in industry have translated well into the voluntary sector. Operational, strategic, risk management and leadership skills are all in demand, even in much smaller organisations. One of the biggest adjustments was learning to work with far less bureaucracy and governance than I was used to.
I have never felt guilty about leaving the industry. In fact, voluntary work often gives you more than you put in, if you choose the right organisation. The only real loss has been financial, but that income felt increasingly tainted. In its place, I gained a stronger sense of self-respect and alignment with my values.
Parting Reflections
I do not regret my career, although I wish I had recognised its flaws much earlier. Walking away does not mean you lose your friends or colleagues. You may disagree deeply, but relationships can still endure.
What I would strongly caution against is allowing your legacy to be defined by continued work in an industry that refuses to acknowledge or address the harm it is causing. The fossil fuel industry is increasingly seen as a social pariah, and future generations will judge it harshly for what it continued to do once the evidence of harm was undeniable.
For anyone questioning their place in the industry, I would say this: it is never too late to step away, to realign your work with your values, and to contribute positively elsewhere. I would make the same decision again without hesitation.