News and information on Royal Dutch Shell Plc
Extracts from an email John Donovan received from the Guardian newspaper on 4 February 2020:
…we will no longer accept advertising from fossil fuel extractive industries.
We are the first major global news organisation to turn our backs on the oil and gas industry. The move will cost us money. But we felt obliged to act…
The Guardian
How a powerful US lobby group helps big oil to block climate action
Chris McGreal: Mon 19 Jul 2021 11.00 BST
When Royal Dutch Shell published its annual environmental report in April, it boasted that it was investing heavily in renewable energy. The oil giant committed to installing hundreds of thousands of charging stations for electric vehicles around the world to help offset the harm caused by burning fossil fuels.
On the same day, Shell issued a separate report revealing that its single largest donation to political lobby groups last year was made to the American Petroleum Institute, one of the US’s most powerful trade organizations, which drives the oil industry’s relationship with Congress.
CNN OPINION
Climate change is about greed. It’s time for big oil to pay us back
Recently, a Dutch court in The Hague ordered Royal Dutch Shell to slash the emissions from its products. The European Union as a whole is moving forward with a European Green Deal to decarbonize the EU energy system no later than 2050. In line with the European plans, Volkswagen recently declared its intention to phase out ICEs in Europe by 2035.
As with the drug companies that pushed addictive painkillers on Americans and tobacco companies that pushed killer cigarettes, it’s time for the oil industry to pay heavy penalties on ill-gotten gains, the flip side of which are the death and destruction caused by extreme climate events.
CNBC
Scientists hired by oil giants predicted climate crisis 60 years ago: Report
By CNBCTV18.com | IST (Published)
More than 26 lawsuits have been filed in the US against oil companies for their role in climate change. The internal documents of these companies contain research data collected by their teams regarding the effect of rising global temperatures.
These researchers had accurately predicted rising global temperatures. Some of these researchers have testified that fossil fuel companies, petroleum giants like Exxon, Chevron, Shell and BP among others, knew about the role of burning fossil fuels in global warming more than 60 years ago.
The New York Times
Lawmaker Threatens to Subpoena Exxon After Secret Video
The chairman of a powerful House subcommittee said he is seeking answers from Exxon and other oil and gas giants over their role in spreading disinformation on climate change.
Hiroko Tabuchi and
July 2, 2021The chairman of a House subcommittee is demanding that executives of Exxon Mobil Corp., Shell, Chevron and other major oil and gas companies testify before Congress about the industry’s decades-long effort to wage disinformation campaigns around climate change.
REUTERS
By Jessica Resnick-Ault, Arathy S Nair, Shariq Khan: JULY 1, 2021
(Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to leave Aera, its California-based oil and gas-producing joint venture with Exxon Mobil Corp, four people familiar with the talks told Reuters.
Shell has divested numerous carbon intensive assets this year, selling its refinery in Washington state to Holly Frontier Corp and its stake in a Houston-area refining joint venture to Petroleos Mexicanos as it shifts new investments to renewables and power.
The Guardian
Chris McGreal: Wed 30 Jun 2021 08.00 BST
The environmentalist Bill McKibben once characterized the fossil fuel industry’s behavior as “the most consequential cover-up in US history”. And now for the first time in decades, the lawsuits chart a path toward public accountability that climate activists say has the potential to rival big tobacco’s downfall after it concealed the real dangers of smoking.
“We are at an inflection point,” said Daniel Farber, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley and director of the Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment.
Clean energy is the future – so why are some investors still supporting the dying fossil fuel economy?
Institutional forces continue to prop up the fossil fuel economy, while both the market and public opinion are leaving it behind. This is as foolish as it is dangerous, writes Tom Steyer: 29 June 2021
As far as climate action goes, May 2021 was a big deal. The trend towards clean energy and away from fossil fuels exploded. Exxon Mobil, the biggest oil company in America, lost a proxy battle and now three climate activists will sit on its board. A Dutch court set new and stringent rules for energy companies, including Royal Dutch Shell. The German Supreme Court ordered all of Germany to step up its climate game significantly by 2030.
Oil and gas firms could face fresh legal action by activist groups as investors demand stock market-listed firms align with Paris climate goals
Major oil and gas firms including BP and Shell could face fresh legal action by activist groups as investors demand stock market-listed firms align with Paris climate goals.
The wave of potential lawsuits could also target Chevron and Exxon and other heavy industry majors such as Ineos, the petrochemicals giant controlled by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, and biomass power firm Drax.
CNBC
Big Oil’s increasing number of climate lawsuits draws parallels to Big Tobacco
PUBLISHED FRI, JUN 25 20211:12 AM EDT: Sam Meredith
@SMEREDITH19
LONDON — Big Oil is likely to face an exponential increase in climate lawsuits over the coming years, a trend that analysts say is reminiscent of activists turning to the courts to take on the tobacco industry.
The prospect of a rising tide of climate litigation cases against heavy emitting businesses comes shortly after a landmark courtroom defeat for Royal Dutch Shell.
The Washington Post
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Big oil companies in the United States and Europe were forced to come to terms with their role in climate change last month after shareholders, including large mutual funds and private equity firms, pressured the companies to shift their long-criticized environmental policies.
The shareholder rebellions at Chevron and Exxon made front-page news; what has been less reported is how Catholic groups, from the Vatican to orders of nuns to Catholic youth organizations, played a key role in holding Big Oil accountable, influenced by Pope Francis’ advocacy for justice and the environment.
DutchNews.nl
Groningen gas: 80% of the homes in this village are being demolished
June 14, 2021 – By Pierre Felcenloben
In Groningen, work is continuing to clear up the damage caused by extracting millions of cubic metres of gas from under the province. For the residents of the village of Overschild, this means demolishing and rebuilding almost every building.
Thousands of people have been affected by damage to their homes due to subsidence in the region, which sits above Europe’s largest gas field and has been exploited by NAM, a joint venture set up by Shell and Esso, since 1963.
Bloomberg Green
Oil Companies Rejected by Supreme Court on Moving Climate Fight
By Greg Stohr: 14 June 2021, 14:32 BST
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by oil companies including BP Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp., leaving intact an important procedural ruling favoring two California cities suing for billions of dollars to address the impact of climate change.
The justices, without comment, refused to consider the industry’s bid to shift the lawsuit into federal court, where companies tend to fare better than they do before state tribunals.
THE GUARDIAN
It’s time to nationalize Shell.
Private oil companies are no longer fit for purpose
By Johanna Bozuwa and Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò: Mon 7 June 2021
It has been a bad month for big oil. A Dutch court just ruled that Shell must cut its carbon pollution by 45% by 2030. The court’s decision has rightly been celebrated: it is a much more stringent requirement than the ineffective regulations imposed to date.
Private oil and gas companies are finally up against the wall. Shell has promised to appeal the Dutch court decision, but oil prices went negative last year and put companies on bankruptcy notice…
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
‘Wolf pack’ attack win opens the door for more turmoil
June 1, 2021: The success of the activist shareholder assault on the Exxon board last week, along with a court ruling ordering Royal Dutch Shell to cut its carbon emissions faster than planned and a majority of Chevron shareholders voting for a reduction in its “scope three” emissions have been depicted as victories for climate activists.
While the Shell decision clearly fits into that category (although it will appeal) and Chevron probably also squeezes in, the Exxon experience isn’t quite as clear cut and illustrates the confusion and conflict, for companies and investors, that flow from the increasing aggression and impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds.
THE TELEGRAPH
Vilifying Western oil companies is a very bad way to fight climate change
Green victories over the likes of Shell risk handing Russia and the petro-states political leverage over the world’s energy supplies
Environmentalists should think twice before celebrating the week that shook Big Oil to the core. Green activist victories against Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron are pregnant with unintended consequences.
The Shell saga is the most unsettling of the three episodes last week. (For sake of disclosure I own shares.) It was ordered by a district court in the Hague last Wednesday to slash emissions 45pc by 2030 in line with United Nations guidance, including the “Scope 3” emissions of hypothetical drivers who burn their petrol. Others will surely follow because copycat suits are proliferating.
: The recent allegations highlight that the inspectors in charge of assuring safety and environmental protection on large pipeline projects are usually paid by the pipeline builders themselves. Critics say that creates a conflict of interest, but pipeline industry officials compare the practice to quality control in other areas of manufacturing. “The system isn’t set up to ensure experienced and accountable inspections,” said Shannon Smith of the FracTracker Alliance, a Pennsylvania-based energy watchdog group that has monitored Shell’s project.
: You can be SURE of HELL, sorry missed an ‘s’ SHELL
: Unfortunately I was persuaded to switch to Shell Energy Broadband after a conversation with a staffer of USwitch, supposedly because download speeds were a little faster than PlusNet. But what a bad decision! Upload speeds are truly terrible, and the download speeds struggle to get up to what they publicise. Its an indictment of USwitch advice that they failed to point out how much upload speeds can vary between providers and that you can be trading DOWN to a worse service. Do the sane thing - don't be tempted as I was to choose this provider.
: ok... it looks like Malaysia is next on the chopping block. piece by piece...
: Rather than fixing the problem, Shell ordered the whistleblowers off the project and the contractor fired the two inspectors. The couple’s allegations are contained in their whistleblower complaint filed with the Labor Department.
“We did our jobs, and we were harassed, abused, ridiculed, and humiliated. They said they’d been repeatedly warned they’d be “run off” if they kept pressing safety concerns.
: If you want to be ripped off go to Shell Energy. I live in a one bed flat and they charged me £291 for 1 months electricity and sent me out a wrong bill for £1500 when it was only £800. Yes stress!
Oh i forgot i raised a complaint on 29th July of which no one got back to me so I called today to be offered £30 and 6 sorrys of so sorry mistakes happen.
Either way Stay Away from Shell Energy!
: Prelude to Disaster. More Shell HSSE whitewash: https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/asia/337828/sleep-deprived-workers-at-shells-prelude-flng-make-official-complaint/
: It is no surprise to read about the pipeline inspectors findings. Penn Chem has a checkered past with respect to negative findings in assurance and audit activities. Just dig into the earth works, water conduits, foundations, blasting damage, pressure vessel quality, etc. They have run off so many safety professional (and quality inspectors) until they found those who wouldn't rock the boat and let the contractors "get on with it". Not to mention the number who found opportunities elsewhere. Those left, are mostly happy to look the other way and collect the paycheck. All to make single use PE... BvB talks about the environment and safety. Can he walk it? Reshape demonstrates the strong commitment to eliminate independent S&E assurance activities, now that is a learner mindset twist on "inherent" safety!
: Two former pipeline inspectors say they were fired for reporting hazards on a volatile liquids pipeline to Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s massive new petrochemical plant northwest of Pittsburgh. The inspectors, Frank Chamberlin and Susan D’Layne Carite, said they warned Shell managers and even federal regulators in 2019 that the anti-corrosion coating was defective on the company’s Falcon pipeline. That could increase the threat of corrosion, a leading cause of pipeline ruptures. https://www.eenews.net/articles/whistleblowers-say-bad-seeds-undermine-pipeline-safety/
: Does anyone have the list of Shell assets for sale this week? After the rumors of Aera / Permian, maybe Norco, Penn Chem, GOM, ... Whats next?
: Hilarious, if they weren't serious: https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/07/its-time-to-nationalize-shell-private-oil-companies-are-no-longer-fit-for-purpose
: If they are not careful they will kill the goose that lays the golden egg: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/26/business/shell-court-case-climate-change/index.html?utm_source=twCNN&utm_medium=social&utm_content=2021-05-26T14%3A14%3A04&utm_term=link
EBOOK TITLE: “SIR HENRI DETERDING AND THE NAZI HISTORY OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
EBOOK TITLE: “JOHN DONOVAN, SHELL’S NIGHTMARE: MY EPIC FEUD WITH THE UNSCRUPULOUS OIL GIANT ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.
EBOOK TITLE: “TOXIC FACTS ABOUT SHELL REMOVED FROM WIKIPEDIA: HOW SHELL BECAME THE MOST HATED BRAND IN THE WORLD” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.
This is not a Shell website. That fact should be abundantly plain from the overall content of this home page and our sister Shell focussed websites, including shellnazihistory.com. Click on the Disclaimer link at top of this page for more information. You Can Be Sure Shell does not endorse or approve of this website. There are no subscription charges nor do we solicit or accept donations. It is an entirely free to use website drawing attention to the negative side of Shell while also publishing positive news about the company. The Shell logo image with the white text used on this website, as per the above example, is in the public domain because its copyright has expired and its author is anonymous. It can be found on WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. Our shellenergy.website republishes Shell Energy customer complaints posted on Trustpilot where there is an ample supply. Use this link for Shell’s own website.
See our link list of over 500 articles by the FT, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, Forbes, Dow Jones Newswires, New York Times, CNBC etc, plus UK House of Commons Select Committee Hansard records, information on U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission website etc. all containing references to our Shell focussed websites, or our website founders Alfred and John Donovan. Includes TV documentary features in English and German, newspaper and magazine articles, radio interviews, newsletters etc. Plus academic papers, Stratfor intelligence reports and UK, U.S. and Australian state/parliamentary publications, also citing our Shell websites. Click on this link to see the entire list, all in date order with a link to an index of over 60 books also containing references to our non-profit websites and/or our activities.
John Donovan, the website owner
A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
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