Posted by John Donovan: 23 March 2024
In a move that will surely make Mother Nature roll her eyes and shrug in resignation, Shell has proudly announced the ascension of Greg Joiner to the position of Executive Vice President at Shell Energy. Who better to lead the charge on cleaner energy solutions than an oil and gas behemoth that has spent decades contributing to the climate crisis?
Joiner’s illustrious career at Shell, spanning back to the dawn of the millennium, apparently qualifies him to spearhead the company’s efforts in decarbonization. One can only assume he’s been perfecting the art of greenwashing since his days as a Business Development Manager for Pulse Energy in Australia. Ah, the memories of Shell’s early 2000s foray into electricity and gas retailing, like a fine wine tainted with the taste of environmental degradation.
In his own words, Joiner expressed his eagerness to continue Shell’s legacy of… well, whatever they’re trying to do. “I have now been with Shell for over 30 years,” he proudly proclaimed on LinkedIn, conveniently omitting any mention of the countless oil spills, emissions, and environmental devastation that may have occurred during his tenure.
But fear not, for Shell is not just about appointing new executives; they’re also busy patting themselves on the back for their LNG trading business. Tom Summers will continue to lord over this domain, ensuring that Shell maintains its status as the world’s largest purveyor of liquefied natural gas. Nothing says “progress” like doubling down on fossil fuels amid a climate emergency.
Shell CEO Wael Sawan even graced the world with his wisdom at CERAWeek, where he waxed poetic about the bright future of LNG. Forget renewables, folks, LNG is where it’s at! Sawan envisions LNG growing to around 20% of gas sales in the next couple of decades, conveniently sidestepping the inconvenient truth that the planet can’t afford more gas sales of any kind.
Who cares about pesky details like the existential threat of climate change when there are profits to be made? As long as Shell keeps shuffling executives and peddling fossil fuels under the guise of sustainability, everything will be just fine. Right?
