Greenpeace, community reps call on Shell to pay for part in climate crisis
MANILA, Philippines — Greenpeace, along with representatives of communities that suffered floods due to typhoons Ondoy in 2009 and Ulysses in 2020, are calling on oil firm Shell Petroleum Corp. to pay damages for the effects of fossil fuel production.
On Monday, Greenpeace volunteers and community representatives biked from Quezon City to Shell’s corporate headquarters in Taguig. The group delivered their letter of demands, which also include urging the corporation to recognize that they produce historical carbon emissions and to shift to renewables as well as stop plans for fossil fuel expansion.
"They must support communities in building better homes, and they must help the next generations rise from poverty so that they don’t have to live in danger zones and risk areas," said Jimmy Ceguerra, kagawad from Barangay Tumana in Marikina City.
"However, even if they’ve paid people and helped them recover, these floods will happen again and again unless we address the true cause of climate change. The real triumph is if we get Shell to stop producing fossil fuels, and if the government addresses the problem through policies and regulations."
Their protest action comes just after the company posted a record $40-billion profit.
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The group cited a 2022 report done by the Commission on Human Rights that names Shell, along with 46 other carbon major respondents, in its climate change and human rights inquiry to stop engaging in fossil fuel activities that end up harming communities,
Greenpeace said Shell has yet to acknowledge the report.
"We are not stopping you from doing business, but you have to be responsible, and you also have to recognize the rights of communities and the environment in your line of work," Derek Cabe, national coordinator at the Nuclear and Coal-Free Bataan Movement, said.
"Instead of ignoring our demands, your action, and taking accountability for the climate crisis, should be treated as the real measure of your humanity."
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