Shell and COP 15

Background

"Royal Dutch/Shell group and its subsidiaries belong to a large number of lobbying organisations and have substantial access to government, particularly in the UK and the Netherlands.

Shell was formerly a member of the Global Climate Coalition (GCC): In 1998 Shell followed BP and left the GCC. While the GCC was an overt lobby against action on climate change, since it was sidelined, other lobby groups have come to the fore which are more subtle in their tactics.

As a multinational which attempts to maintain the ethical high ground, Shell takes a leading position within the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Senior members of Royal Dutch/Shell Group wear their WBCSD hat, for example at the UN's COP climate summits. For details of WBCSD's position on climate change: www.wbcsd.org/projects/pr_climenergy.htm

The president of Royal Dutch and Chairman of Shell are entitled to sit at the Business Roundtable[41]. Centre for European Policy Studies

Shell also holds a position within the Centre for European Policy Studies[44] (CEPS) Also belongs to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)[46] and the US Council for International Business (USCIB)[47].

From its website, the ICC heralds itself as "The only representative body that speaks with authority on behalf of enterprises from all sectors in every part of the world."[48]

ICC promotes free trade and the market economy with the conviction that "trade is a powerful force for peace and prosperity"[49]. ICC aims to be a forum where business can agree voluntary rules to govern world trade in the hope that this image of responsible industry self-regulation will persuade governments not to interfere. It proved so successful in this that within a year of the creation of the United Nations, ICC was granted consultative status at the UN[50].

Shell in the United States, and over 300 other American corporations belong to USCIB who are involved in lobbying the US government. The council was founded in 1945 "to promote an open system of world trade, investment and finance"[51]. Other prominent members of the council include: BP, the American Petroleum Institute, Coca-Cola, Chevron (oil Co.), Dupont (see Corporate Watch profile), General Electric, General Motors, Ford, McDonalds, Mobil, Monsanto, Nestle USA, Philip Morris (tobacco), Texaco (oil) and Unilever. The USCIB is the US affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE). Most significantly USCIB chairs the expert-group of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)[52].

European Chemical Industry Council

The company is a member of the European Chemical Industry Council who brand themselves as "both the forum and the voice of the European chemical industry."[53] CEFIC represents, directly or indirectly, about 40,000 chemical companies in Europe, companies which account for more than 30 per-cent of world chemicals production[54].

The European Roundtable of Industrialists (ERT), which includes Phil Watts of 'Shell Transport and Trading'[58] is a club of 48 captains of industry, drawn from the largest European multinationals. With privileged access to EU and national decision-makers the roundtable has been at the forefront in promoting industry self-regulation over government-enforceable mechanisms. ERT Environment Working Group released a report on climate change in mid-October 2000, prior to COP6 in the Hague: "Climate Change: How Government and Industry can Work Together"[59].

Shell is represented on a number of government QUANGOs in the UK: the Renewable Energy Taskforce, Advisory committee on Business and the Environment, Oil and Pipelines Agency (within the Ministry of Defence), Sustainable Development Education Panel, and the European Environmental Agency.

Greenwash

In the face of current public hostility towards Esso (See: www.stopesso.com), Shell is making renewed efforts (December 2001) to differentiate itself from the dirty dog of the industry. A series of newspaper adverts[63] portray Shell as a caring, listening company - part of an already established public face for the company, for example with its community-aware "Flares out in 2008" program in Nigeria[64]. This public face ignores the group's ambitious targets for increased production of fossil fuels.

Shell has further greened its image by being seen to talk with NGOs (Non-Govenmental Organisations) most notably and most controversially Amnesty International.

Official stance

"The Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) The most newsworthy climate session was structured as a call to action featuring former VP Gore, UNSG Ban Ki-Moon, UNFCCC SG de Boer, Danish PM Fogh Rasmussen, Shell CEO van der Veer, and Swiss Re CEO Algrain. Shell CEO van der Veer called for an a global agreement where developed countries take on obligatory cuts, and developing countries are included through sector agreements. He referred to CCS as an interesting technology with huge potential, but hampered by cost and lots of uncertainty. He said it could, at best, be a bridge to a future of renewable energy.",

"Jeroen van der Veer, Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell, chairs the Energy and Climate Change working group of the European Round Table of Industrialists. According to him several specific policy initiatives could help government and society better harness companies’ agility and innovative power in the quest to control greenhouse-gas emissions: Agreements among groups of key countries to reduce emissions in specific industrial sectors; Incentives for companies to capture CO2 and store it safely underground, accelerating the deployment of this promising technology; Technology funds to support the development and commercial demonstration of new technologies, such as advanced biofuels, with high potential for lowering CO2 emissions. Until now, negotiators have aimed for a global deal palatable to developed and developing countries alike. While that remains the ultimate goal, it has so far proven devilishly complex to formulate." ,

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References

[39] Heinz Rothermund, Speaking at the 1997 Celebrity Lecture for the Institute of Petroleum at Strathclyde University, 20 May 1997 [40] [41] www.transnationale.org/anglais/fiches/1442483538.htm [42] www.globalchange.org/gccd/gcc-digest/1997/d97sep17.htm [43] www.globalchange.org/gccd/gcc-digest/1997/d97sep17.htm [44] www.transnationale.org/anglais/fiches/1442483538.htm [45] www.ceps.be/Pubs/News/ [46] www.iccwbo.org [47] www.transnationale.org/anglais/fiches/1442483538.htm [48] www.iccwbo.org [49] www.iccwbo.org [50] www.iccwbo.org/home/intro_icc/introducing_icc.asp [51] www.imex.com/uscib/ [52] www.xs4all.nl/~ceo/mai/uscib.html [53] www.cefic.be/about/ [54] www.cefic.be/about/ [55] www.cefic.be/about/ [56] www.cefic.be/about/ [57] www.iccwbo.org/home/menu_global_compact.asp [58] www.ert.be/pc/pcb/encb01.htm [59] www.xs4all.nl/~ceo/greenhouse/european.html [60] www.peopleandplanet.org/climatechange [61] www.countonshell.com/welcome/history/history_1992.html [62] www.countonshell.com/welcome/history/history_1992.html [63] eg: Evening Standard (London) Tuesday 20 November 2001, p14 [64] The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, 2000 People and the Environment Annual Report, p38 Royal Dutch Shell"<ref>corporatewatch.org, "Influence / Lobbying Groups", corporatewatch.org, accessed 22 Febuary 2009