
7. British Petroleum (BP)
In 2010, some questioned the future of BP right after the Deepwater Horizon explosion on one of its oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Several people died in the initial explosion, but what caused the world to tune in to what was happening was the massive oil leak that came afterward. Millions of barrels of oil gushed through the oil well straight into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and killed countless wildlife, while also decimating local economies that rely on fishing and tourism. BP has made a comeback, though. In 2019, it grossed $278,400,000,000.
Among petroleum companies, BP seems to be leading the way to clean air and reduce the amount of carbon through carbon offsets. Yet the initiatives have their critics – many see BP as responsible for much of the air pollution and high level of carbon in the atmosphere. They think that BP should be cleaning it instead of recommending that individuals buy carbon offsets. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with the petroleum companies at the top of the highest-earning companies.