Well, well, well—if it isn’t Shell, our favorite greedy, ruthless, polluting oil giant, swimming neck-deep in climate lawsuits while pretending to care about the planet.
The courts are now one of the hottest battlegrounds in the war against planet-warming emissions, and Shell is right there in the spotlight, along with its fossil fuel cronies. At least 86 lawsuits have been filed globally against these fossil fuel dinosaurs, and guess who’s leading the pack? Yep, Shell—because being the biggest sinner in the “sin stock” hall of fame comes with perks like endless court cases!
The lawsuits against Shell aren’t just about some little spills (although they’ve left enough oil slicks to fill an ocean)—they’re about climate damage. A 2021 ruling by a Dutch court ordered Shell to reduce its emissions by 45% by 2030, which Shell, in true corporate villain fashion, promptly appealed. Why? Because making real changes would be inconvenient for Shell’s profit-driven soul. Instead, their spokeswoman offered some condescending drivel about how “smart policy from government and action from all sectors” is the way forward. Translation: “Please don’t make us actually take responsibility—we’d rather just keep paying off politicians.”