Shell’s Shell Game: Selling Smoke and Mirrors with ‘Phantom’ Carbon Credits!

Posted by John Donovan: 5 May 2024

In a move that could only be described as a masterclass in corporate chutzpah, Shell, the reigning champion of environmental lip service, has been caught with its hand in the carbon cookie jar, selling millions of carbon credits as substantial as a politician’s promises.

Enter Alberta, the land of opportunity for oil giants looking to greenwash their way to profitability. Here, Shell found a cozy little subsidy scheme that allowed them to register and sell carbon credits tied to CO₂ removal that was about as real as a unicorn sighting. According to the province’s registry, Shell managed to pull off the miraculous feat of selling credits equivalent to twice the volume of emissions avoided by its Quest carbon capture facility, which, surprise, surprise, didn’t quite live up to its carbon-sucking hype.

To add insult to environmental injury, Shell managed to peddle these “phantom credits” to Canada’s finest purveyors of planetary destruction, including Chevron, Canadian Natural Resources, ConocoPhillips, Imperial Oil, and Suncor Energy. Because when you’re in the business of profiting off the planet’s demise, why not spread the love?

Unsurprisingly, Greenpeace Canada’s senior energy strategist, Keith Stewart, didn’t mince words when he called out this egregious charade, stating that “selling emissions credits for reductions that never happened . . . literally makes climate change worse.” But hey, who cares about the planet when there’s profit to be made, right?

Of course, Shell, ever the masters of spin, were quick to defend their carbon capture endeavours, touting its importance in decarbonizing industries while conveniently glossing over the fact that their actions seem to have done more harm than good. Because nothing says “climate action” quite like profiting off imaginary emissions reductions.

Meanwhile, Alberta’s environment ministry, in a stunning display of cognitive dissonance, insists that this whole debacle hasn’t resulted in “additional emissions” by industrial polluters. Sure, and pigs fly.

But fear not, dear readers, for the saga of Shell’s environmental tomfoolery doesn’t end here. With plans in the works for a second carbon capture plant, Polaris, at Scotford, it seems Shell is doubling down on its smoke and mirrors strategy, proving once again that when it comes to corporate responsibility, they’re truly in a league of their own.

So here’s to you, Shell, for turning the noble pursuit of carbon capture into a high-stakes game of deception. Or should we say, “What the Shell were you thinking?”

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