Shell advisor quits, accusing firm of ‘excessive harms’ to atmosphere | Shell

A senior security advisor has stop working with Shell after 11 years, accusing the fossil gas producer in a bombshell public video of inflicting “extreme harms” to the environment.

Caroline Dennett claimed Shell had a “disregard for climate change risks” and urged others in the oil and gas business to “walk away whereas there’s nonetheless time”.

The manager, who works for the independent agency Clout, ended her working relationship with Shell in an open letter to its executives and 1,400 employees. In an accompanying video, posted on LinkedIn, she stated she had give up due to Shell’s “double-talk on climate”.

Dennett accused the oil and gasoline firm of “working past the design limits of our planetary systems” and “not putting environmental safety before production”.

She mentioned: “Shell’s acknowledged security ambition is to ‘do no harm’ – ‘Purpose Zero’, they name it – and it sounds honourable but they're completely failing on it.

“They know that continued oil and gasoline extraction causes extreme harms, to our climate, to the environment and to individuals. And whatever they are saying, Shell is just not winding down on fossil fuels.”

Dennett instructed the Guardian she “couldn't marry these conflicts with my conscience”, adding: “I couldn't carry that any longer, and I’m ready to deal with the implications.”

Shell was a “main client” of Dennett’s enterprise, which specialises in evaluating safety procedures in high-risk industries including oil and gasoline production. She started working with Shell within the aftermath of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, which rocked the industry.

“I can not work for a company that ignores all of the alarms and dismisses the risks of climate change and ecological collapse,” she said. “Because, opposite to Shell’s public expressions round net zero, they are not winding down on oil and gasoline, however planning to explore and extract much more.”

Dennett – a prison justice graduate who has spent her career in research and consultancy – was impressed to cease working with Shell after watching news footage of Extinction Insurrection local weather protesters urging the corporate’s staff to leave. The motion’s TruthTeller whistleblowing mission encourages oil and gas workers to walk away from the trade.

The guide, who runs inside security surveys and is based in Weymouth, Dorset, acknowledged she was “privileged” to be able to stroll away and “many people working in fossil gas companies just aren’t so fortunate”.

She urged Shell’s executives to “look in the mirror and ask themselves if they really believe their vision for extra oil and fuel extraction secures a safe future for humanity”.

In late 2020, several Shell executives in its clean vitality sector left amid studies they had been frustrated at the pace of Shell’s shift in the direction of greener fuels.

Her announcement comes on the eve of Shell’s AGM in London on Tuesday. Its plans to reduce emissions will be discussed on the assembly where the Dutch activist group Follow It will push for the corporate’s insurance policies to be extra per the Paris climate accord. Shell’s board has told buyers to reject the group’s decision that asks it to set extra stringent climate goals.

The Shell investor Royal London has stated it intends to abstain on a vote on the agency’s climate transition proposals.

The Shell chief government, Ben van Beurden, could experience an investor rebellion towards his £13.5m pay packet at the AGM after the funding adviser Pirc urged a vote against it.

Signal up to the each day Enterprise As we speak e-mail or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk

A Shell spokesperson said: “Be in little question, we are determined to ship on our world strategy to be a net zero company by 2050 and thousands of our persons are working hard to attain this. We have now set targets for the short, medium and long run, and have every intention of hitting them.

“We’re already investing billions of dollars in low-carbon vitality, though the world will nonetheless want oil and gasoline for many years to come back in sectors that can’t be simply decarbonised.”

Shell additionally faces the prospect of a potential windfall tax to fund cuts to family bills after the energy industry reported bumper earnings fuelled by the increase in market prices, prompting opposition events to name on the government to usher in a one-off levy.

On Monday, the most important oil and gas producer in the North Sea spoke out against a one-off levy, arguing it would lead to the trade approving fewer tasks.

Harbour Power’s chief executive, Linda Prepare dinner, told the Monetary Instances: “The next tax burden will make it tougher for brand spanking new oil and fuel projects to satisfy funding hurdle charges, which means fewer tasks might be sanctioned.

“That is at a time when business is being inspired to extend home UK oil and fuel manufacturing and help an orderly vitality transition.”

Harbour has advised the government it plans to speculate $6bn in the North Sea over three years as business makes its case towards the tax. The Guardian revealed this month that Cook had acquired a £4.6m “golden hiya” from the agency.