Shell disregards climate risk and continues to cause “extreme harms”, a safety contractor has alleged, calling for workers to exit the industry.
Caroline Dennett, director of Clout, published an open letter this morning announcing the end of her relationship with Shell. She has acted as a safety consultant, with Clout offering safety culture and process safety culture evaluations.
© Supplied by Linkedin / CarolineDennett said she had surveyed “thousands” of Shell employees and contractors.
“But Shell’s disregard for climate change risks means they are completely failing on their Goal Zero safety ambition to ‘do no harm’,” she said. The company is guilty of “double talk”.
“I can no longer work for a company that ignores all the alarms and dismisses the risks of climate change and ecological collapse.” The company aims to do no harm through its “goal zero” campaign “but they are completely failing on it,” she said.
Shell is not working to wind down its oil and gas operations, Dennett wrote, but “planning to explore and extract much more”.
Everybody out
All new extraction projects must end and the world must move away from fossil fuels, towards renewable energy, she continued.
“Shell should be using all its capital, technical and human power to lead this transition, but they have no plan to do this,” Dennett said.
“I don’t know what impact this action will have on my business and career, and it’s possible my reputation may be damaged in the eyes of people I have worked with. However, I feel like there is no other choice I can make. Join me, and exit the industry if you can.”
The fossil fuel industry is “the past”, Dennett said in a video.
"Today I'm quitting because of Shell's double talk on climate" — watch & RT this mic drop speech from the safety consultant who's bravery could inspire many more to jump ship from the fossil fuel industry ✊ & join the demo outside #Shell's AGM tomorrow!👉https://t.co/N7N77zbsRJ pic.twitter.com/5N81DoEMOG
— 350.org Europe (@350Europe) May 23, 2022
The Clout director emailed the letter to top staff at Shell and 1,400 staff and contractors.
Shell will hold its AGM tomorrow. There are two competing resolutions on the sheet. Shell is seeking support for its climate policy with resolution 20. Follow This, an environmental NGO, has put forward its own resolution 21.
The resolutions are not binding. Shell has said that if there is a notable vote – of more than 20% – it will engage with investors.
Follow This has reported that eight of the top 10 largest Dutch investors will back its resolution.
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