Climate activists from Greenpeace will protest at Shell’s London headquarters on Thursday about the record profit that the oil and gas company announced. According to the demonstrators, Shell benefits from “climate destruction and human suffering” with its billion-dollar profits.
The activists carried a counterfeit gas station price sign showing record profits of more than $42 billion for 2022. It also questioned the amount the company would have to pay for damage caused by climate change. According to Greenpeace, the demonstrators call on Shell to take responsibility and pay for the damage the company is causing worldwide.
“While Shell counts its billions, people worldwide have to deal with the damage caused by record droughts, heat waves and floods caused by the oil giant. That is the stark reality of climate change that we must put an end to,” said a Greenpeace activist. This week, the organization also campaigned on a freighter that transports a Shell drilling platform. Greenpeace’s message at protests is: “Stop drilling. Start paying.”
Mark van Baal of the activist shareholder Follow This, who is committed to better climate policy in the oil sector, says that no more than 14 percent of Shell’s profit goes to sustainable investments. “Shell cannot claim to be in transition as long as investments in fossil fuels overshadow investments in renewable energy sources,” says Van Baal.
The shell has a target to be climate neutral by 2050 and wants to reduce its emissions more quickly.