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Indigenous communities put the heat on Shell!

Yesterday I attended Shell’s Annual General Meeting in The Hague, to address the board and shareholders. Shell, one of the largest multinational corporations in the world and a company that prides itself in having strong stakeholder relations, was taken aback by a barrage of questions from shareholders and groups attending.  Shareholders questioned Shell’s inability to effectively and adequately meet the needs of local communities, basic safety standards, changing global energy models and economies, global climate change, and basic business standards of corporate social responsibility. Shell is a company that’s modelling its business projections on scenarios in line with a 6-degree global temperature rise, doubling its already huge tar sands developments on the traditional territory of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation [...]

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Eriel Deranger, Robert Thompson, Ron Plain, by Ben Powless

Indigenous communities oppose ‘extreme energy’ at Shell’s AGM

Shell to face barrage of criticism tomorrow over financially risky and environmentally damaging new projects. As the business case for tar sands extraction falters, Arctic drilling is suspended, and the company is investigated for price fixing, Shell’s board will be under pressure to defend the direction it is taking at its AGM in The Hague on Tuesday 21 May. You can watch a live webcast of the event if you register. Two Indigenous women, representing communities impacted by Shell’s operations abroad, will attend the AGM to confront the Chairman and Board over the massive human and ecological rights violations and economic devastation that the company’s operations bring to Indigenous communities. They will argue that Shell’s decision to pursue highly risky [...]

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FOEE and UKTSN Brussels protest

UK caught in battle over Canadian tar sands

Leading scientists in London today to advise UK government on tar sands damage Leak reveals government’s pro-tar sands stance, Norman Baker’s response unconvincing Second Canadian Minister in two weeks visits UK on lobbying mission Comprehensive new tar sands fact-check website launches Today the UK government is under fire for rejecting an EU proposal to classify oil from tar sands as highly polluting, a label that would deter EU countries from importing it. As revealed in the Guardian yesterday, the UK government supports a controversial methodology for the EU’s Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) legislation which would treat tar sands oil the same as conventional oil, despite it being 23% more polluting. Transport Minister Norman Baker has hit back at the allegations, [...]

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The protest begins!

Outrage in Oxford as University launches partnership with Shell

Protests from students, staff and alumni as Energy Minister Ed Davey attends opening ceremony   Today Oxford University launched a new research partnership with Shell, and opened the Shell Geoscience Laboratory. The ceremony was attended by Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University and Alison Goligher, Shell’s Executive Vice-President for Unconventionals. The partnership with the Earth Sciences Department has drawn criticism from alumni, staff and students in a letter published in today’s Guardian. There are over 75 signatories (with more continuing to come in) including prominent environmentalists Jonathon Porritt, George Monbiot and Jeremy Leggett, Emeritus Fellow of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute Brenda Boardman, and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare [...]

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Shareholders barred from entering BP AGM for criticising tar sands

11.04.13 Today at BP’s Annual General Meeting two campaigners were refused entry to the meeting, despite holding legitimate paperwork. Emily Coats, from the UK Tar Sands Network, was told she was ‘not welcome’, despite being a shareholder, because she had previously protested against BP’s involvement in the tar sands. Eight other campaigners, holding shares or proxies, were able to gain entry to the AGM, after invasive ‘random’ searches, where they put pressure on the board to defend the direction it is taking the troubled company. Two of these campaigners were escorted from the meeting when they tried to exercise a right to respond to BP’s inadequate answers to their questions. “I own a share in BP so was shocked to [...]

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Activists rally outside G8 and send Kerry a message: Say No to Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline

LONDON — Approximately 60 activists, including some from Texas and the Gulf Coast, gathered outside the G8 foreign ministers’ meeting at Lancaster House in London today to tell US Secretary of State John Kerry to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, address the global climate crisis, and keep tar sands out of Europe. Over the past month, activists have confronted Kerry and President Obama at nearly all of their public appearances, including an event last week that drew over 1,000 people in San Francisco to a rally outside of an Obama fundraiser. This is the first time a US politician has been met with an anti-Keystone protest on foreign soil. The activists were joined by representatives of Texas and [...]

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Help a delegation of First Nations attend Shell’s AGM

Dear Friends, We’ve always been lucky in the past few years to be able to support First Nations community representatives to attend the AGMs of companies that threaten their land. This has allowed them to communicate directly to the board and other shareholders, who often have little idea about the disruption, illness, and environmental damage that these communities are experiencing. It has helped bring international attention to the issue of tar sands extraction, putting a human face to the impacts of extreme energy development. This year, it has been difficult to find the necessary funds to go towards airfares, accommodation and logistical support. The Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign has now launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to help raise funds [...]

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Pembrokeshire community urges Nick Clegg to keep tar sands oil out of Europe

Member of local group travels to London to present petition Today Eleanor Clegg, Llangolman resident and member of Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth, was joined by a coalition of concerned citizens and campaigners to present a petition to Nick Clegg in Whitehall, London. The petition, organised UK Tar Sands Network, 350.org, Campaign Against Climate Change, People & Planet, and Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth, urged the Deputy Prime Minister to support the EU Fuel Quality Directive (FQD), legislation which will discourage imports of tar sands oil to Europe. The petition pointed out that increasing amounts of tar sands oil are expected to be imported to the UK, especially via Valero‘s refinery in Pembroke. Valero, a key supporter of the Keystone [...]

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Canada’s man in Britain gets a frosty reception

Greetings from UK Tar Sands Network HQ, We can expect to see some aggressive lobbying by the Canadian government in the coming months, as the EU moves closer to cutting tar sands out of our fuel mix. So as well as our normal creative dissent we have been spending a lot of time plotting and scheming with our allies to create a strong EU-wide campaign, which will once and for all ‘Keep Tar Sands out of Europe.’ We’re delighted to have Philippa come on board to help build the coalition. Welcome to the team! We are so inspired by the flurry of community resistance and incredible creative activism that has happened in the last few weeks we wanted to share [...]

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It’s a momentous day in the fight against the tar sands

Good afternoon! Today in Washington DC, tens of thousands of people are taking part in the biggest climate rally in US history. They are asking President Obama to move #ForwardOnClimate and, specifically, to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The President’s imminent decision will have momentous consequences. KXL is ‘a fuse to the largest carbon bomb on the planet.’ So today we’re asking you to show solidarity with our friends in the US and Canada who are working so hard to stop the KXL and other pipelines being built, by sharing this image on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also add your voice to the campaign to keep tar sands oil out of Europe for good, by signing [...]

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