(Bloomberg) -- For four decades, the “Oil & Money” conference has been one of the crude sector's biggest fixtures, bringing together executives, government ministers and journalists for a few days of discussion about the industry in London.
In recent years however, there's been increasing disquiet about whether the event's name suits contemporary attitudes to fossil-fuel consumption and the wealth it generates.
With the threat of climate change becoming increasingly apparent, the conference and others similar to it have become targets for environmental protesters. Last year, demonstrators stood outside the venue in London's Mayfair area with a banner marked “Climate Criminals Enter Here.”
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Its organizers are heeding this shift in social mores with a rebrand. From next year, “Oil & Money” will become the “Energy Intelligence Forum,” named after the publishing firm that sponsors it.
“The world needs energy, but the energy industry must find ways to meet those needs in a more sustainable way,” the company said in a statement. “We felt that our conference needed a new identity and a new mandate.”
That new mission will focus on the debate over finding low-carbon solutions to meeting the world's energy needs, it said.
The event's previous name didn't suit the times. Nor does it suit The New York Times, a long-running co-sponsor of the conference. The newspaper is no longer involved in the event, Energy Intelligence said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Grant Smith in London at gsmith52@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Herron at jherron9@bloomberg.net, Helen Robertson, Christopher Sell
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