DW.COM

Shell’s Niger Delta cleanup: Ogoniland’s uncertain future

A Dutch court in January ruled that Shell had polluted the Niger Delta and ordered the energy giant to pay compensation. But many are now questioning whether it is enough to put right the misery suffered by the people.

The conflict between the indigenous people of Ogoni in Nigeria’s Niger Delta is a perennial one.

This year’s court ruling by an appeals court in the Netherlands — in favour of Milieudefensie/Friends of the Earth Netherlands and four Nigerian farmers — was heralded by some of them as justice. read more

IMAGE SOURCE: Slick PR can’t disguise Shell’s devastating oil pollution in Nigeria

ARTICLE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Fisherwomen, Chevron and the Leaking Pipe

By Ruth Maclean July 25, 2021, 3:00 a.m. ET

Oil companies like Chevron, Shell and Eni have made billions in profits in the vast Niger Delta region in the last decades. But now some are pulling out — and they are leaving utter ruin in their wake, according to government monitors and environmental and human rights organizations. The delicate ecosystem of the Niger Delta, once teeming with plant and animal life, is today one of the most polluted places on the planet. read more

upstreamonline.com

Shell’s Niger Delta oil-spill case to be heard in UK courts

22 July 2021 8:13 GMT UPDATED  22 July 2021 8:13 GMT

Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell has run out of time to appeal a UK court ruling earlier this year which found that a five-year-old case on environmental pollution in the Niger Delta should be heard in the UK and not Nigeria. In February, Shell’s lawyers failed to convince the High Court in London over the jurisdictional argument that the trial would be better decided in Nigeria, although Shell was given leave to appeal but declined to do so. read more

FRANCE 24

Polluted by the oil industry: Life in Nigeria’s Ogoniland

By: Moïse GOMIS|Emmanuelle SODJI: 02 July 2021

The Ogoniland area of southern Nigeria is one of the most polluted places on Earth. The crops are burnt to a cinder, ash and tar smother the land and the wells are polluted with oil, making the water totally undrinkable. Entire communities have suffered as their way of life has been destroyed by the oil industry. Our reporters take you to Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta, where pollution has become the norm. read more

REUTERS

Shell urged to drop appeal over landmark climate ruling

By Ron Bousso: 2 MIN READ: JUNE 24, 2021

LONDON (Reuters) – A Dutch activist group that won a legal battle against Royal Dutch Shell over its climate strategy has urged the company to ditch its appeal and hold joint talks on how to reduce its emissions, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said the company planned to appeal the ruling but that the Anglo-Dutch company would also accelerate its energy-transition strategy and deepen emission cuts.

The court ruling came amid mounting pressure from investors and activist groups on the world top oil companies including Exxon Mobil to tackle their emissions. read more

17 June 2021

Sir. Ben van Beurden,
Chief Executive Officer (CEO),
Royal Dutch Shell,
Shell Headquarters,
Carel Van Bylandtaan 16,
2596 HR, The Hague,
P.O. Box 162, 2501AN,
The Netherlands.

Dear Sir,  

THE ROYAL DUTCH SHELL SHOULD BE WARNED NOT TO DIVEST OML 25 IN THE NIGER DELTA AREA OF NIGERIA, TO AVOID DENTING ITS RESPECTED PUBLIC IMAGE AS A RESULT OF UNRESOLVED LEGACY/FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES 

With reliable news that The Royal Dutch Shell and its Operators in Nigeria, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), are in the process of divesting/selling its Oil Mining Lease 25 (OML 25) in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria, we consider it necessary to alert and warn the Leaders of Royal Dutch Shell/SPDC to desist from carrying out such plans. read more

EMAIL to Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden from the Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)  

From: Zik Gbemre <[email protected]>

Subject: ON SHELL REVEALED PLANS TO VACATE NIGER DELTA – THE REAL ISSUES

Date: 1 June 2021 at 11:13:46 BST

To: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, “[email protected]” <[email protected]>

Cc: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, John Donovan <[email protected]>, “[email protected]” <[email protected]> read more

FINANCIAL POST

Shell on Trial as Court Weighs Its Climate Responsibility

Bloomberg News: Hugo Miller and Laura Hurst: Publishing date May 25, 2021   (Bloomberg) — A Dutch court verdict against Royal Dutch Shell Plc will determine whether it has a legal responsibility for climate change, in a case that will be watched by Big Oil executives globally.A panel of judges in a lower court in The Hague will rule on Wednesday in a case being followed closely by environmental campaigners too. While the verdict is only legally binding in the Netherlands, it’s set to be scrutinized as a new area of litigation and may guide deliberations by judges elsewhere.

Shell was sued by Milieudefensie, the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth, whose lawyers spent two weeks in court earlier this year arguing that the company is violating human rights by extracting fossil fuels and undermining the Paris Agreement’s aim of limiting temperature increases to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

FULL ARTICLE

EnergyVoice.com

Shell faces Dutch court ruling on global emissions

By Ed Reed: 24 May 2021

A court in The Hague will rule on May 26 on a climate case against Shell, led by Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie).

The environmentalist case demands that Shell cut CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030. Success for the NGO would see the corporation ordered to “reduce its emissions in line with global climate goals”.

The outcome, it said, should “impact climate policy and corporate accountability globally”. It does not seek compensation, rather a change to Shell’s business plan. read more

ProactiveInvestors.co.uk

Shell’s climate plans do not go far enough, says UK’s biggest fund manager read more

Earlier this week, institutions of the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist denominations in 11 countries announced their disinvestment from fossil fuels.

C of E Pensions Board backs new Shell energy-transition plan

By JOE WARE: 21 MAY 2021

THE Church of England Pensions Board voted on Tuesday with the oil giant Shell to pass the company’s new energy transition plan. Under the plan, gas production would increase by 20 per cent.

The AGM vote took place on the same day as the International Energy Agency released a report that stated that the exploitation and development of new oil and gas fields must stop this year if the world was to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 — a goal of the Paris Agreement. read more

Argus Media

Shell discusses onshore exit with Nigerian government

Published date: 18 May 2021

Shell is in talks with the Nigerian government after concluding that its onshore oil position in the Niger Delta is no longer worth the risk, chief executive Ben van Beurden said today. Van Beurden did not explicitly say that Shell would exit onshore Nigeria completely or give a timeline for any potential asset sales.

By Rowena Edwards

Will Supermajors Finally Be Held Accountable For Oil Spills?

By Global Risk Insights – May 08, 2021, 12:00 PM CDT

A British Supreme Court ruling has brought to a head a 13-year-old battle to hold Royal Dutch Shell accountable for massive oil spills in the Niger Delta in 2008 and 2009. This creates a precedent for taking multinational corporations to trial in the home countries of their parent companies. This may mark the beginning of a more regulated global environment, in which subsidiary companies responsible for human rights abuses happening abroad could be held more accountable. Whether this will be an effective solution remains to be seen.  read more

Extinction Rebellion activists cleared of criminal damage over Shell HQ protest

By Tristan Kirk: 23 April 2021

Six Extinction Rebellion protesters have been cleared of causing criminal damage to Shell’s London headquarters, despite a judge saying they had no defence in law.

Two of the group’s co-founders Simon Bramwell, 49, and Ian Bray, 53, were acquitted on Friday alongside Jane Augsburger, 55, Senan Clifford, 60, David Lambert, 62, and James “Sid” Saunders, 41, after a trial at Southwark crown court. read more

1 Mar 2021: Author: Channa Samkalden, Prakken d’Oliveira

Lawyers’ insights on corporate legal accountability: Channa Samkalden, Prakken d’Oliveira, Netherlands

Channa Samkalden reflects on the decision of the Hague Court of Appeals in the lawsuit against Shell in the Netherlands regarding oil pollution in Nigeria.

1.Why is this case important?

The case is important because it was one of the first cases to argue parent company liability – and (as far as I know) it became the first where a parent company duty of care for the activities of a subsidiary abroad was indeed established. Oil pollution in the Niger Delta has been an immense problem for decades – and Shell has never really been held accountable for it. A crucial first step was taken in 2015 when the Court of Appeal of The Hague confirmed the jurisdiction of the Dutch courts and opened the route to justice for the Nigerian farmers and Friends of the Earth. Five years later the court concluded that Shell Nigeria must pay compensation and that Royal Dutch Shell must see to it that a Leak Detection System is installed on the Nigerian pipeline. read more

OPINION: UK leads way in holding corporations to account for rights abuses

by Oliver Holland & Liberty Bridge | Leigh Day Wednesday, 17 March 2021 15:21 GMT * Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

British court rulings reflect global movement towards greater accountability for multinational corporations

By Oliver Holland and Liberty Bridge, a partner and solicitor at Leigh Day

EXTRACTS

For Zambian farmers, Nigerian fisherman and Bangladeshi shipyard workers, recent judgments from the UK courts have provided clarity that multinational companies can be held accountable for the harm caused to individuals by their operations. Claims that are based on whether a UK company can owe a duty of care to a foreign claimant even where damage has been caused by a third party is a rapidly evolving area of law – there is a global movement towards greater accountability for multinational corporations and these recent judgments show the UK courts are leading the way. read more