GLOBAL — Today, internal company documents uncovered by a Dutch news organization found that Shell knew about climate change as far back as the 1980s. Despite this, similar to ExxonMobil, Shell executives chose to publicly stress uncertainty to sow a phony debate about the reality of climate change.
Bill McKibben, author and 350.org co-founder, said:
“Had they merely been candid with the world, we could have gotten to work then, and while global warming would not yet be ‘solved,’ we’d be well on the way. Instead they appear to have chosen the path of hedging, minimizing, and diverting—and given the stakes, this was both tragic and immoral. Shell knew. And now we do too.”
May Boeve, 350.org Executive Director, said:
“Just like Exxon, Shell knew about the dangers of climate change and instead chose to embark on a decades-long campaign of deception. These reports reaffirm that fossil fuel companies have been — and always will be — bad actors. To all elected officials and institutions let this be a sign: there’s no excuse left to have ties to these rogue corporations. It’s up to all of us to hold the likes of Shell accountable, and build the fossil free world that puts people and our planet first.”
This comes as reports reveal that glaciers in Antarctica are melting far more rapidly than expected, and just one day after Milieudefensie announced plans to sue Shell over its role in causing climate change.
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Contact:
In Europe: Melanie Mattauch, Europe Communications Coordinator, [email protected], +49 151 5812 0184
In the US: Lindsay Meiman, US Communications Coordinator, [email protected], +1 (347) 460-9082