Scottish Greens and campaigners slam Shell boss comments

Chief executive Wael Sawan told the BBC on Thursday that the world still “desperately needs oil and gas”.

He added that the switch to renewable energy is not happening fast enough to replace it, and cautioned that it could lead to soaring energy bills.

Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman slammed fossil fuel industry giants in response, saying they should be funding the transition themselves.

She said: “They have caused the damage and their actions have consequences. They should take their responsibility to the world they are destroying seriously.”

Climate campaigners also condemned the comments.

Jamie Peters, head of climate at Friends of the Earth, said: “It’s no surprise that a fossil fuel company like Shell wants to continue unabated extraction of oil and gas.

“Let’s be clear, companies like Shell are fuelling both the climate crisis and the soaring cost of energy.

“They are profiting from the misery of ordinary people while destroying the planet, and they’re making a cynical case to continue locking us into the volatile fossil fuel markets that are the root cause of the energy crisis.”

Kate Norgrove, executive director of campaigns at WWF added that the comments were "dangerous". 

She said: “Shell using their platform to scare the world into thinking there is no alternative to fossil fuel is dangerous. Continuing to extract oil and gas and ignoring the science on alternatives will push our global temperatures to a point of no return.

“We know that without an end to fossil fuel extraction, we will not meet our net zero targets. These targets are there to halt and reverse the horrific damage we have inflicted on this planet, not to line the pockets of the extractive industry, who continue to flourish while the world burns.”

Shell recently sparked widespread criticism after announcing a move to stop reducing the amount of oil it produces until 2030.

Green campaigners slammed the group’s move as “utterly destructive” after it dropped its plan to reduce oil production by between 1-2% each year of this decade.

Shell declared victory, saying the target was actually reached eight years early after it sold off oil fields to others, who will extract that oil instead, with the controversial decision also coming as part of a plan to boost its share price.

A spokesman for Shell added: “Shell has already reduced its liquids production by 21% since 2019, and once we hit the stable production level we recently outlined, it will have fallen by 26%.

“That represents a greater reduction than the initial 1-2% per year cuts we set out in 2021 would have achieved by 2030.”

Chapman, the MSP for North East Scotland, said the fossil fuel giants “only care about profits”.

She added: "The oil and gas giants are responsible for the climate emergency. They have known, for nearly 50 years, that their industry is damaging our environment. They have knowingly brought us to the brink of climate breakdown.

"Our world is burning around us. But the fossil fuel giants, and the politicians who support them, don't care - they only care about their profits.

"Just this week we've seen the hottest day on the planet. Ever. If we want a liveable future on earth, we cannot continue with new oil and gas exploration, and we must drastically cut our dependence on existing planet-wrecking fossil fuels.

"The transition to renewables must be intensified. And it must be a fair and just shift that embraces and supports the communities and workers who have relied on the oil and gas industry. And the fossil fuel industry giants themselves should be funding the transition: they have caused the damage and their actions have consequences. They should take their responsibility to the world they are destroying seriously.

"The just transition is vital in the North East of Scotland, which I represent, but also in communities around the world. Those communities, workers and their skills should be right at the heart of building a fairer, greener future."