A Message to Shell Oil

Royal Dutch Shell Oil has announced record profits for 2006--earnings are up 17%--to $25bn. In response, Friends of the Earth has sponsored a full page ad in the Guardian and a dutch newspaper calling on Shell to “Use your profits to clean up your mess”. It is signed by 7,000 people, as well as various environmental and community groups in Brazil, Netherlands, USA, Barbados,and the Philippines. It says that "people from around the world tell Shell to stop destroying the environment and people's lives." It identifies 9 hot spots across the world. In the Niger Delta gas flaring and leakages, refineries in vulnerable areas in Ireland and burst pipelines in Barbados are identified. Also noted are chemical wastes from a dismantled refinery in Curacao, a dangerous oil depot in the Philippines, endangered whales and salmon in Russia, threatened marine life in the USA and leaking pipelines in South Africa. In tandem with the ad, the Shell Accountability Coalition has issued a new report on Shell's accountability to its corporate social responsibilities. It highlights the nine problematic sites noted in the ad, and makes concrete proposals on how Shell can spend some money to improve and repair the social and environmental conditions in these places. :: Friends of the Earth Via :: The Guardian