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Friends of the Earth

Climate activists across world raise funds for the court case against Shell

Climate activists across world raise funds for the court case against Shell

Friends of the Earth Netherlands: 20/01/2023 | 16:25 PM

In 2021, thousands of Dutch citizens took one of the largest carbon emitters in the world to court and won. Together with Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie) they won a historic court case against Royal Dutch Shell, the parent company of Shell Group, forcing the company to take climate action.

The judge ruled that Shell’s current climate policy would contribute to a level of climate change that would be so dangerous that it would impose a threat to human rights. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Large-scale polluter Shell loses legal battle

Large-scale polluter Shell loses legal battle

The Guardian: Isabella Kaminski: Thu 29 Dec 2022 12.00 GMT

Between 2004 and 2007, the villages of Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo in Nigeria were polluted with oil from infrastructure built by Royal Dutch Shell. More than 15 years later, in late December, the company finally agreed to pay four farmers and their communities €15m in compensation and install a leak detection system after a court in the Netherlands ruled that Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary was liable and the parent company had a duty of care. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell to pay $16m to Nigerian farmers over oil damage

BBC News

Shell to pay $16m to Nigerian farmers over oil damage

23 Dec 2022

Shell has agreed to pay $16m (£13m) to four Nigerian farmers and their communities to compensate for damage allegedly caused by pollution coming from leaks in its oil pipelines.

The sum was agreed in negotiations between the oil company and campaign group Friends of the Earth.

But it is being given on the basis of “no admission of liability”, a joint statement says.

Nigeria’s oil industry has been a major source of environmental damage. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell to pay 15 mln euros in settlement over Nigerian oil spills

REUTERS

Shell to pay 15 mln euros in settlement over Nigerian oil spills

AMSTERDAM, Dec 23 (Reuters) – Shell (SHEL.L) will pay 15 million euros ($15.9 million) to communities in Nigeria that were affected by multiple oil pipeline leaks in the Niger Delta, the oil company on Friday said in a joint statement with the Dutch division of Friends of the Earth.

The compensation is the result of a Dutch court case brought by Friends of the Earth, in which Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary last year was found to be responsible for the oil spills and was ordered to pay for damages to farmers. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Campaign Behind Landmark Case Against Shell Targets More Energy Groups

OilPrice.com

Campaign Behind Landmark Case Against Shell Targets More Energy Groups

By Tsvetana Paraskova – Jan 13, 2022, 10:30 AM CST

Milieudefensie, the Dutch chapter of Friends of the Earth activists who won a landmark climate case against Shell in 2021, now urge more than two dozen other multinationals, including BP, Exxon, Vitol, and LyondellBasell, to implement plans to slash emissions by at least 45 percent by 2030 from 2019 levels.

In a letter sent on Thursday to 29 “big polluters”, including Shell, BP, Exxon, Vitol, LyondellBasell, RWE, Unilever, Uniper, Stellantis, Schiphol, ABN AMRO, and others, Milieudefensie asks the companies to respond how they plan to cut their Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by at least 45 percent by 2030. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Niger Delta cleanup: Ogoniland’s uncertain future

DW.COM

Shell’s Niger Delta cleanup: Ogoniland’s uncertain future

A Dutch court in January ruled that Shell had polluted the Niger Delta and ordered the energy giant to pay compensation. But many are now questioning whether it is enough to put right the misery suffered by the people.

The conflict between the indigenous people of Ogoni in Nigeria’s Niger Delta is a perennial one.

This year’s court ruling by an appeals court in the Netherlands — in favour of Milieudefensie/Friends of the Earth Netherlands and four Nigerian farmers — was heralded by some of them as justice. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Oil giant Shell set to appeal against ruling on carbon emissions

The Guardian

Oil giant Shell set to appeal against ruling on carbon emissions

Company hopes to get Dutch court ruling overturned which called for it to cut emissions faster

Jillian Ambrose: Tue 20 Jul 2021 16.42 BST

Royal Dutch Shell has confirmed that it will appeal against the landmark Dutch court ruling calling for the oil giant to cut its carbon emissions faster.

A court in The Hague reached the milestone verdict in May this year after Friends of the Earth and over 17,000 co-plaintiffs successfully argued that Shell had been aware of the dangerous consequences of CO2 emissions for decades, and that its climate targets did not go far enough. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Court orders Shell to slash CO2 emissions in landmark climate ruling

CNN

Court orders Shell to slash CO2 emissions in landmark climate ruling

“This is a turning point in history,” said Roger Cox, lawyer for Friends of the Earth Netherlands.

Updated 2000 GMT (0400 HKT) May 26, 2021

London (CNN Business)A Dutch court has ruled that Royal Dutch Shell must dramatically reduce its carbon emissions in a landmark climate decision that could have far reaching consequences for oil companies.

The company must slash its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels, according to a judgment from a district court in The Hague on Wednesday. That includes emissions from its own operations and from the energy products it sells.

This is the first time that a court has ruled a company needs to reduce its emissions in line with global climate goals, according to Friends of the Earth Netherlands, an environmental campaigning group that brought the case against Shell (RDSA).

The verdict could pave the way for similar cases to be brought in other countries, forcing oil companies to reduce fossil fuel production. It comes just a week after the influential International Energy Agency told oil companies they need to stop drilling for oil and gas right now to prevent a climate catastrophe.

The Anglo-Dutch company announced plans in September to become a net zero emissions company by 2050, a target that includes emissions from its products. It is currently targeting a 20% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030, and 45% by 2035.

“This is a turning point in history,” said Roger Cox, lawyer for Friends of the Earth Netherlands.

“This case is unique because it is the first time a judge has ordered a large polluting corporation to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. This ruling may also have major consequences for other big polluters,” added Cox.

The impact of the decision will be amplified because the court relied on global human rights standards and international instruments on climate change in arriving at its decision, according to legal experts.

“I can imagine this will inspire a series of other cases against companies, especially those active in the oil extraction industries like Shell,” said Eric De Brabandere, a professor of international dispute settlement at Leiden University in the Netherlands. “It is a groundbreaking decision, it’s really a landmark.”

Mounting pressure

While Shell claims that its carbon intensity targets are aligned with the Paris Agreement — which aims to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius — Friends of the Earth Netherlands argues that the company’s ongoing investments into oil and gas extraction show that it doesn’t take climate change seriously.

The court found that Shell’s carbon emissions pose a “very serious threat” to Dutch residents, and that the company has an “individual responsibility” to reduce emissions. The court said the company would have “total freedom” to comply with its order and to shape corporate policy.

Shell indicated it would appeal the ruling, which is immediately enforceable, according to De Brabandere.

“We are investing billions of dollars in low-carbon energy, including electric vehicle charging, hydrogen, renewables and biofuels. We want to grow demand for these products and scale up our new energy businesses even more quickly. We will continue to focus on these efforts and fully expect to appeal today’s disappointing court decision,” a Shell spokesperson said in a statement.

Oil companies are facing mounting pressure from shareholders and activists to ditch fossil fuels and invest into cleaner energy sources. The ruling handed down on Wednesday “may sound revolutionary, but, in fact, it is in line with what long term investors are increasingly asking companies to do anyway,” said Cees van Dam, a professor of international business and human rights at the Rotterdam School of Management.

At its annual meeting on Wednesday, ExxonMobil (XOM) will face a challenge from activist investor Engine No. 1, which is seeking to replace 

almost a third read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Court orders Shell to pay Nigeria farmers for oil pollution

Court orders Shell to pay Nigeria farmers for oil pollution

The appellate court in the Netherlands ruled Friday that Shell’s claims of sabotage along the Nigerian pipeline are not supported by evidence.  By Clyde Hughes: WORLD NEWS: JAN. 29, 2021 / 8:03 AM Jan. 29 (UPI) — A Dutch court ruled on Friday that oil company Royal Dutch Shell must compensate farmers in Nigeria for oil spills that occurred years ago.
The Court of Appeals ruled that Shell’s Nigerian branch must pay for spills in the Niger River Delta between 2004 and 2007, which spurred a civil case from four farmers that lasted for years.

The farmers sought compensation and cleanup over pollution that resulted from leaky oil pipelines.

The appellate court said Friday that Shell is liable for damages and also must install new equipment to prevent future problems.

“Oil supply in the leaky pipe could have been shut down earlier if a leak detection system had been present,” the Court of Appeals wrote.

The amount Shell must pay to the farmers will be determined at a later hearing. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Dutch appeals court rules Shell Nigeria unit responsible for oil leaks

Dutch appeals court rules Shell Nigeria unit responsible for oil leaks

Reuters Staff: JANUARY 2021/ 10:32 

AMSTERDAM, Jan 29 (Reuters) – A Dutch appeals court on Friday said that the Nigerian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell was responsible for oil pipeline leaks in the Niger Delta and ordered it to pay unspecified damages farmers.

The decision went a step further than a 2013 ruling by a lower court, saying that Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary was responsible for multiple cases of oil pollution.

Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; editing by Jason Neely read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Is Back in Court for Nigeria Oil Spills Liability Ruling

Shell Is Back in Court for Nigeria Oil Spills Liability Ruling

Bloomberg News: Laura Hurst and Diederik Baazil: Jan 29, 2021

(Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc faces the latest ruling in a long-running legal dispute with Nigerian farmers who say the energy giant is responsible for oil leaks that have polluted their villages.

The case is the first in which a company and its foreign subsidiary have been tried in the Netherlands for allegedly breaching duty of care abroad, and it could have far-reaching implications for future suits brought against oil firms. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell climate lawsuit: Dutch activists push courts for steeper emissions cuts

Shell climate lawsuit: Dutch activists push courts for steeper emissions cuts

Companies that make money selling coal, oil and gas could be held more accountable if judges in the Hague order fossil fuel giant Shell to cut its emissions.

Backed by 17,000 Dutch citizens, climate activists are wrestling fossil fuel giant Royal Dutch Shell in court over its responsibility to cut emissions to levels that comply with global treaties.

On the last of four days of hearings in the District Court of the Hague, seven environmental groups led by Friends of the Earth Netherlands pressed the court to force the oil major to commit to the Paris Agreement target of keeping warming to 1.5C. This would mean cutting net carbon emissions by 45% from today’s levels in a decade, the campaigners say, at a time where Shell is still investing heavily in fossil fuels. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Environmental groups to sue Shell over climate change

By Associated Press: April 5 at 7:01 AM

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Climate activists are planning to deliver a court summons to Shell in a court case aimed at forcing the energy giant to do more to rein in carbon emissions.

The summons is being delivered to Shell’s headquarters in The Hague on Friday afternoon.

The move comes a year after the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth sent a letter to Shell’s CEO Ben van Beurden accusing the company of “breaching its legal duty of care” by causing climate damage across the globe. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell is taking on Tesla with batteries for homes

Updated 1819 GMT (0219 HKT) February 15, 2019

London (CNN Business)Royal Dutch Shell is making a bet on home battery storage as it tries to boost its sustainable energy business.

The oil giant announced Friday that it has purchased Sonnen, a German startup that makes residential battery systems that store energy generated from solar panels.

The move puts Shell in direct competition with companies such as Samsung (SSNLF), LG (LPL) and Tesla (TSLA), which makes a home battery system called the Powerwall. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Climate groups threaten lawsuit to force Shell to ditch oil

Updated 0832 GMT (1632 HKT) February 12, 2019

London (CNN Business)Climate activists are preparing legal action aimed at forcing Royal Dutch Shell to exit the oil business.

A coalition of environmental groups in the Netherlands said Tuesday that they will hand over a court summons on April 5 if Shell does not change its business model to comply with the Paris climate accord. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Friends of the Earth says to sue Shell over climate change

Reuters Staff: Tuesday 29 May 2018

LONDON (Reuters) – Friends of the Earth plans to file a lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), accusing the oil company of failing to act on climate change, the environmental activist group said on Tuesday.

Shell has set out “ambitions” to halve carbon emissions by 2050 and expand in renewables, but the Anglo-Dutch company has come under pressure from investors and activists to reduce its carbon footprint and comply with the 2015 international Paris climate agreement. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell urged to resist calls to fall into line with Paris climate accord

20 MAY 2018 • 7:30PM

Britain’s largest shareholder advisory groups have called on investors in Royal Dutch Shell to reject growing demands for the oil giant to take full responsibility for its impact on the environment.

Shell faces a binding shareholder vote tomorrow to decide whether to adopt rigorous accountability standards to bring its operations into line with the Paris climate agreement. Glass Lewis and ISS have urged shareholders to reject the “unduly burdensome” and “problematic” proposal. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Climate Liability Threat Goes Global

Apr. 16, 2018 12:44 PM ET

Summary

  • A Netherlands environmental NGO has threatened to bring yet another climate change lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell if it does not fundamentally change its business operations.
  • While multinational corporations are constantly being threatened with legal action, this specific one is unique.
  • It has the hallmarks of recent climate lawsuits against Shell in the U.S., but would be based in a court system that has mandated stricter climate policy before.

Can non-shareholder private entities force oil and gas companies to accept lower returns on capital? Investors in Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) (RDS.B) will receive an answer to this question if an environmental NGO moves forward with a threatened lawsuit in the Netherlands that would require the company to do exactly that.

Notably, Shell recently committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% through 2050 via billions of dollars of investments in renewable energy capacity. The NGO in question, Friends of the Earth Netherlands (aka Milieudefensie), deems this effort insufficient and insists that the company must abandon its oil and gas reserves and be “net zero” (i.e., no net emissions of greenhouse gases) by that date instead. While Shell’s investors largely shrugged off the threat (see figure), if they even noticed it at all, the development represents the opening of a new front in the lawsuits being waged by U.S. municipalities against the company and its Big Oil competitors. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

NGO threatens Shell with lawsuit over climate ‘destruction’

April 4. 2018

An environmental campaign group on Wednesday threatened to take Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell to court should it fail to comply with climate targets set out under the Paris Agreement.

“Friends of the Earth Netherlands announced today that they will take Shell to court if it does not act on demands to stop its destruction of the ,” the group said in a statement, accusing the firm of being “among the ten biggest climate polluters worldwide”. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Friends of the Earth threatens to sue Shell over climate change contributions

Green group demands that the oil firm moves away from fossil fuels to comply with the Paris deal, in the latest of a rising number of climate litigation cases read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Links to several hundred articles by a host of different publishers including the FT, Wall Street Journal, Reuters etc., mainly containing references to RoyalDutchShellPlc.com or its founders

REGULARLY UPDATED: Links to over 500 articles (and radio and TV broadcasts) by a host of publishers including the FT, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Dow Jones Newswires, Bloomberg, New York Times, CNBC, Forbes etc. Plus UK House of Commons Select Committee Hansard records, information on U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission website, legal documents filed in the U.S. Courts, all containing references to the Donovan’s, their Shell related websites, or their former company, Don Marketing. Includes newspaper and magazine articles, newsletters, video clip links and interview transcripts. All in date order. In addition, there are references to our websites and/or our activities, published in over 100 books. In all, over 550 externally published references to date including articles originated by news agencies such as Reuters or Dow Jones, syndicated to a variety of individual publishers such as the New York Times or The Washington Post. Plus over 60,000 Shell related articles published on our own Shell focussed websites.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell should not oversee Ogoni clean up —Civil rights group

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By Jimitota Onoyume: AUGUST 5, 2016

PORT HARCOURT—  Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government not to include Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, in any body constituted to oversee the clean up exercise in Ogoni, Rivers State.

Executive Director of the organisation, Dr Godwin Ojo,  in his opening remark at a colloquium,  yesterday, in Port Harcourt, to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the release of the recommendations of United Nations Environment Programme,  UNEP, on Ogoni-land, said that the alleged insistence by the oil company to sit on the Governing Council and Steering Board was worrisome. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell gives up on all but one Chukchi Sea lease

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Screen Shot 2016-05-10 at 08.42.36Shell gives up on all but one Chukchi Sea lease

Yereth Rosen: Alaska Dispatch News: May 9, 2016

Royal Dutch Shell has decided to give up all but one of its federal offshore leases in the Chukchi Sea, bringing what appears to be an anticlimactic end to its multibillion-dollar effort to turn those icy Arctic waters off northwestern Alaska into a new oil-producing frontier.

“After extensive consideration and evaluation, we have made the decision to relinquish all but one of our federal offshore leases in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea. This action is consistent with our earlier decision not to explore offshore Alaska for the foreseeable future,” company spokesman Curtis Smith said in an email on Monday. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell dragged into Nigeria oil corruption probe

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“We can confirm that representatives of the Dutch Financial Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD) and the Dutch Public Prosecutor recently visited Shell at its headquarters in The Hague,” a spokesman said.

“The visit was related to OPL 245, an offshore block in Nigeria that was the subject of a series of long-standing disputes with the Federal Government of Nigeria. Shell is cooperating with the authorities and is looking into the allegations, which it takes seriously.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell hospitality tour for EU diplomats branded ‘PR exercise’ by campaigners

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Arthur NeslenFriday 18 March 2016 

An email seen by the Guardian invites energy attaches from the EU’s 28 countries to visit the Shell technology Centre, take an ‘oil majors and oil paintings’ tour of the Van Gogh Museum, and have lunch with Shell’s president in the Netherlands.

Brook Riley, a spokesman for Friends of the Earth Europe said: “It is disgraceful to see Shell splurging profits from dirty, dangerous gas extraction on a blatant PR exercise, with the full support of the Dutch government. It is no wonder the EU’s energy plans are assuming zero improvements in efficiency or renewables. They are acting as though climate change does not exist.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Environmental group condemns Shell for poor response to oil spill incident at Adibawa Oil field

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By NAN on January 2, 2016

An Environmental Rights group has condemned what it called the ‘slow response of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the oil spill incident of July 12,2015 at the Adibawa Oil field, operated by the company.

Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) made the condemnation in its field report on the oil field, a copy which was made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Saturday.

The group regretted that more than six months after the oil leak incident was reported, oil recovery was yet to be completed, exposing the environment to continued pollution by spilled crude. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Royal Dutch Shell braced for a flood of compensation claims

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Screen Shot 2015-12-19 at 14.30.30By ROB DAVIES FOR THE DAILY MAIL19 December 2015

Royal Dutch Shell is braced for a flood of compensation claims against its Nigerian business over oil spills, after a ruling that makes it more vulnerable to lawsuits.

Judges in The Hague, Netherlands, ordered Shell to hand over documents that could shed light on the cause of spills, which the firm blamed on sabotage by oil thieves.

The ruling is a blow for Shell, which had argued that cases against its Nigerian joint venture SPDC should be heard in Nigeria where the plaintiffs are based, and where companies cannot be held responsible for spills caused by sabotage. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell could face ‘tens of billions in damages’ over Nigeria spills

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Court rules Royal Dutch Shell can be held liable for oil spills at its subsidiary in Nigeria

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Screen Shot 2015-11-20 at 08.55.47By Reuters: 1:34PM GMT 18 Dec 2015

A Dutch appeals court has ruled that Royal Dutch Shell can be held liable for oil spills at its subsidiary in Nigeria, potentially opening the way for other compensation claims against the multinational.

Judges in The Hague ordered Shell to make available to the court documents that might shed light on the cause of the oil spills and whether leading managers were aware of them.

A lower Dutch court in 2013 had found that Shell’s Dutch-based parent company could not be held liable for leakages of oil at its Nigerian subsidiary. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Dutch court: Nigeria farmers can sue Shell in Netherlands

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Dutch court: Nigeria farmers can sue Shell in Netherlands

Screen Shot 2015-11-20 at 08.55.47[JURIST] The Hague Court of Appeals [official website] ruled Friday that the Royal Dutch Shell [corporate website] can be sued in a Dutch court for their involvement in oil leaks in Nigeria. The ruling [text, in Dutch] stems from a suit brought by four Nigerian farmers that claimed Shell and its Nigerian subsidiaries were responsible for oil leaks leading to their lands being damaged. In a statement explaining their reasoning for their decision, the Court of Appeals said, “It cannot be established in advance that the parent company is not liable for possible negligence of the Nigerian operating company.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell to face Nigeria oil spill lawsuit

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A Dutch judge has ruled that a court in the Netherlands should hear a case against Royal Dutch Shell brought by four Nigerian farmers.

The farmers and fishermen want Shell to clean up oil spills in four villages in the Niger Delta and pay compensation.

The latest ruling overturns a decision that was made two years ago by a lower court.

The oil giant said it was disappointed with decision made by appeals court judge Hans van der Klooster.

He ruled that Dutch courts had jurisdiction in the case against Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Dutch court says Royal Dutch Shell can be liable for Nigeria spills

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Screen Shot 2015-12-18 at 08.01.07By Thomas Escritt: FRIDAY, 18 DEC 2015

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – A Dutch appeals court ruled on Friday that Royal Dutch Shell can be held liable for oil spills at its subsidiary in Nigeria, potentially opening the way for other compensation claims against the multinational.

Judges in The Hague ordered Shell to make available to the court documents that might shed light on the cause of the oil spills and whether leading managers were aware of them.

Friday’s ruling overturned a finding by a lower Dutch court in 2013 that Shell’s Dutch-based parent company could not be held liable for spills at its Nigerian subsidiary.

The legal dispute dates back to 2008 when four Nigerian farmers and campaign group Friends of the Earth filed suit against the oil company in the Netherlands, where its global headquarters is based. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Back off, Alaskan energy group tells Shell activists

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Screen Shot 2015-05-25 at 21.27.36Back off, Alaskan energy group tells Shell activists

Shell plans to start drilling in Alaskan waters as early as this summer

By Daniel J. Graeber     |   June 3, 2015 at 8:08 AM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 3 (UPI) — With pressure building on Shell’s port activity in Seattle, an Alaskan energy coalition said the state’s economy won’t be held hostage by external activists.

“We don’t like our economy being held hostage by activists from another state,” Anne Seneca, president of the Consumer Energy Alliance-Alaska, said in a statement.

With federal approval in hand, Shell said it may start its drilling campaign in the arctic waters off the coast of Alaska as early as this summer. Shell’s drilling rig, Polar Pioneer, is stationed at the Port of Seattle ahead of the program’s start. In mid-May, a flotilla of kayakers took to the waters off the coast of Seattle to protest Shell. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Swiss Role in Aggressive Tax Avoidance by Royal Dutch Shell

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Screen Shot 2014-10-30 at 09.22.43By John Donovan

The lead article in The Sunday Times Business section today (authored by Simon Duke and David Smith) says that Britain is at the forefront of a crackdown on corporate tax avoidance – a blitz on tax avoidance by multinationals.

The UK Treasury  is planning a consultation on forcing multinationals like Royal Dutch Shell to declare how much tax they pay in every country in which they operate.

Extract

Country by Country reporting would introduce greater transparency into the complex structures used by big companies to minimise their tax liabilities… read more

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Shell Lied to Dutch Court About Oil Spills in Nigeria

Screen Shot 2014-11-26 at 18.50.09The significance of the Newsweek article is therefore threefold: firstly Shell appears to have misled the court in the Hague which from a reputational perspective is extremely damaging (hence the headline of the article), secondly the case will now return to court for a retrial, and thirdly the lawyers and witnesses in the original case may be subject to legal action by the Dutch authorities.

COMMENT ON NEWSWEEK ARTICLE: Shell Lied to Dutch Court About Oil Spills in Nigeria, Say Friends of the Earth

POSTED BY JOHN DONOVAN

I’m not a lawyer, but the following is my understanding of the significance of the Newsweek article and the case brought by the “Friends of the Earth”.

The two Nigerian cases are actually very significant to anyone forced to confront Shell in a Dutch court.

Unlike the UK or US, there is no “discovery” in Holland and no opportunity to request documents from the other side to support a case.

The system works when everyone is honest, but fails dismally when US or UK lawyers see their role as “misleading the court” to the advantage of their client. For many lawyers, this is of course the basis of hearings in the US and the UK. read more

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Shell Lied to Dutch Court

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“The walls are beginning to close in on Shell. The image that the company would like to present of itself, in the role of the victim instead of the perpetrator, is crumbling more and more,”

The oil company Shell lied to a Dutch court about steps taken to minimize the risk of oil spills during a court case brought against the multinational oil and gas company by four Nigerian farmers and Friends of the Earth, lawyers acting for the claimants alleged today.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) Netherlands and a group of four farmers from villages in the Niger Delta were aiming to claim compensation from Shell for damages caused when a major oil pipeline burst, causing devastation to local communities. read more

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Greenpeace attacks Lego in second anti-Shell partnership video

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By John Donovan

With its usual determination, Greenpeace continues to mount a sustained innovative campaign against the plans of Royal Dutch Shell to drill in Arctic waters. 

It is worth remembering that Shell has in the past used dirty tricks, including undercover activity by its paid spies/infiltrators, in an attempt to combat and undermine Greenpeace.

See: MI6 ‘firm’ spied on green groups” 

Shell still has its own internal army of spies now operating under the name of Shell Global Security (previously as Corporate Affairs Security). I am sure they continue to closely monitor Greenpeace (and me).  read more

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Respond To Shell Allegation Of Non-Release Of Ogoni Remediation Funds

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ARTICLE BY LARA ADEJORO PUBLISHED 8 JULY 2014 BY THE DAILY TIMES OF NIGERIA 

The disclosure by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) that the Nigerian government was frustrating the release of funds for the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Assessment on Ogoniland has come as a rude shock and the Ogoni people demand an answer, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has said.

Augustine Igbuku, the Ogoni Restoration Project Manager for SPDC told the House of Representatives Committee on Environment that Shell was willing to contribute to the $1 billion Ogoni Restoration Fund but was being frustrated by the lack of government structure and a legal framework for the Hydrocarbon Restoration Project (HYPREP), the ad hoc intervention agency set up by the same government. read more

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Oil giant says profits are assured

Screen Shot 2014-04-09 at 00.23.56Extracts from an article published by Eco-Business 28 May 2014

Shell, the world’s largest oil company, believes that governments will not damage its business by taking rapid action on climate change, and says all its oil reserves will be needed and sold at a profit.

In a robust reply to a recent report by the Carbon Tracker Initiative, Shell explains the company reasoning for investing in tar sands and other high cost and difficult-to-extract oil reserves. It says that an ever-expanding global economy, fuelled by population growth and great prosperity, will need more and more oil and gas at least until 2050. This will support high prices. read more

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Lobbying bill is inherently unfair

While Greenpeace might find itself facing more burdensome regulation of its campaign against drilling in the Arctic, Shell can avoid any regulation of its efforts to influence government policy in the other direction by using in-house lobbyists.

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The Guardian, Monday 2 September 2013 21.00 BST

Some deficiencies of the transparency of lobbying, non-party campaigning and trade union administration bill have been widely trailed. Part 1 of the bill fails to impose transparency obligations on all but a fraction of professional lobbyists. Meanwhile, the uncertainty of rules on non-party campaigning in part 2 poses a serious threat to campaigning by charities and others (Lobbying bill ‘could put charities at risk of prosecution’, 2 September). read more

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Shell criticized over Niger Delta pipelines ‘sabotage’ claims

Controversy relating to Shell’s evil track record in Nigeria is not limited to oil spill pollution. There is also the corruption, plunder, collusion, militants on Shell’s pay roll and Shell spying on the host government. Graphic from the Guardian Article: Unloveable Shell: the Goddess of Oil (Comments by John Donovan)

Claims by Shell that sabotage is responsible for most oil spilt in Nigeria have come under fire. A Dutch agency found that the oil giants statements were based on disputed evidence and flawed investigations.

Friends of the Earth International

Amnesty International

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, 19 JUNE 2013 – Claims by Shell that sabotage is responsible for most oil spilt in Nigeria have come under fire. A Dutch agency found that the oil giant’s statements were based on disputed evidence and flawed investigations. read more

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Shell to resume Niger delta oil spill compensation talks

Oil company Shell will resume talks next week in London with lawyers representing 15,000 of the poorest people in the world who are claiming millions of pounds’ compensation for oil spills on the Niger delta. But Martyn Day, of Leigh Day law firm which is acting for the communities, said the case could still go to a full high court trial in London in 2014.

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The company has admitted liability for two spills but disputes the quantity of oil and damage done

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Oil company Shell will resume talks next week in London with lawyers representing 15,000 of the poorest people in the world who are claiming millions of pounds’ compensation for oil spills on the Niger delta. But Martyn Day, of Leigh Day law firm which is acting for the communities, said the case could still go to a full high court trial in London in 2014.

The Shell petroleum development company of Nigeria (SPDC) has admitted liability for two spills from a pipeline in the Niger delta in 2008, but the company disputes the quantity of oil that was spilled and the damage that was done to livelihoods and the environment near the coastal village of Bodo in Rivers State. Oil spill experts working for the communities estimate that nearly 500,000 barrels leaked from the company pipeline over several months, Shell claims it was far less. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell ‘uses sabotage claims to avoid blame for Nigeria oil spills’

Screen Shot 2013-02-03 at 10.25.25The National Contact Point (NCP) agency will today give Shell a rap on the knuckles for its reporting of its spills in the Niger Delta region, some of which have been highly damaging to the environment. NCP has reached this conclusion following an investigation into accusations by Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International that Shell has exaggerated the proportion of spills caused by sabotage to avoid paying compensation and to reduce damage to its reputation.

TOM BAWDEN: WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE 2013

Shell’s persistent claims that theft and sabotage are responsible for almost all the oil spills at its operation in Nigeria could have been exaggerated, an international watchdog has found.

The National Contact Point (NCP) agency will today give Shell a rap on the knuckles for its reporting of its spills in the Niger Delta region, some of which have been highly damaging to the environment.

The agency, set up to oversee OECD guidelines on multi-national companies, said: “Given the many years of discussion about the causes of oil spills in Nigeria, Royal Dutch Shell management should have had a more cautious attitude about the percentage of oil spills caused by the sabotage,” noting that the data they are based on is “not absolute”. read more

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Dutch court rejects most of Shell spill case

A Dutch court has ruled that a subsidiary of international oil giant Royal Dutch Shell should be held responsible for pipeline leaks poisoning farmland in Nigeria. It was believed to be the first time a Dutch court has held a multinational’s foreign subsidiary liable for environmental damage and ordered it to pay damages.

A Friends of the Earth banner outside court ahead of the case of Nigerian farmers against Shell, in The Hague, Netherlands.(Photo: Peter Dejong, AP)

January 30, 2013

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court has ruled that a subsidiary of international oil giant Royal Dutch Shell should be held responsible for pipeline leaks poisoning farmland in Nigeria.

In its ruling Wednesday, the Hague Civil Court rejected most of a landmark case brought by Nigerian farmers and environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth against Shell, saying the leaking pipelines were was caused by saboteurs, not Shell negligence.

However, in one case the judges ordered a subsidiary, Shell Nigeria, to compensate a farmer for breach of duty of care by making it too easy for saboteurs to open an oil well head that leaked on to his land. read more

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Niger Delta Villagers VS Shell – Seeking Justice Abroad

By Zainab Usman, 16 November 2012:

opinion

Legal action against Shell failed in Nigerian courts. So now villagers from the Niger delta are bringing the fight to Shell in their home country of the Netherlands.

In the latest case of Nigerians seeking justice abroad for crimes within Nigeria, a group of villagers from the Niger delta has taken oil behemoth Royal Dutch Shell to court in the Netherlands over alleged environmental pollution and “corporate crimes”.

Nigeria, the leading oil producer in Africa and eighth largest in the world, has most of its oil deposits located in the wetland and mangrove region of the Niger delta. Decades of oil extraction have left much of the region’s vegetation, farmlands, fishponds and drinking water polluted, and contributed to the impoverishment of much of its local population. read more

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Britain is sitting on a £1.5 trillion gas goldmine

Pilot wells caused two earthquakes in Lancashire last year and green campaigners warn the method could contaminate the water supply.

By Tom Mcghie and Nick Craven

Britain is sitting on a £1.5 trillion shale gas bonanza that could be worth more than the remaining North Sea gas.

The amount is bigger than previously thought and would potentially bring energy price stability and independence from imports for decades.

Although only about ten per cent  of the gas is in unpopulated areas suitable for extraction, it would still be worth £150 billion.

The level of untapped shale gas will be confirmed next month in a study by the British Geological Survey, commissioned by the Department  of Energy and Climate Change, according to industry sources. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell is Trending: Here’s Why That’s Not a Good Thing

By : November 07, 2012

Worldwide concern regarding a 2011 leak at one of Royal Dutch Shell’s (NYSE:RDSA)(NYSE:RDSB) oil fields in Nigeria has gained critical mass; so far this week, the company has been trending on Twitter.

Short phrases like “Payback time for Big Oil,” “Justice for the people,” and “Tell parliament to end oil impunity” have littered the company’s feed over the past few days.

Many of the tweets include a link to a petition sponsored by the advocacy group Avaaz, urging the Nigerian Parliament to fine Shell $5 billion for the 2011 Bonga Oil Spill. In the petition, Avaaz describes Shell as a “giant oil polluter” responsible for a spill that “devastated the lives of millions of people.” read more

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Four Nigerian Farmers Take On Oil Giants Shell

By Simona Sikimic: SATURDAY OCTOBER 20, 2012

Law, it is often said is what separates us from the barbarians. But law can also be used to stop so-called civilizing forces from performing barbaric actions abroad. As four Nigerian farmers and fishermen take oil giants Shell to court, this premise will be tested to the maximum.

If they succeed, a new avenue for seeking remuneration, and through it the compliance of more ethical practices, will be secured. If they fail, the cloak of immunity that has for too long surrounded multinationals working in the developing world will be drawn tighter still. read more

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Nigeria: Shell’s civil legal suit in the Netherlands breaks new ground

By Adam Robert Green: 17 October 2012

Three legal challenges against Shell for pollution charges in the Niger Delta could set precedents for how multinational companies are sued for environmental damages in developing countries. All three inquiries – in the UK, the Netherlands and the US – are being judged in countries other than the one in which damages are said to have occurred.

Shell’s trial in the Netherlands for oil pollution in the Niger Delta is a landmark; the first time a Dutch company has been brought before a home court to answer charges of environmental damage caused abroad. The UK High Court is also reviewing a case concerning the Anglo-Dutch company’s Nigeria operations. read more

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Shell Faces Oil-Spill Compensation Claims

Updated October 11, 2012, 12:55 p.m. ET

By SELINA WILLIAMS

LONDON—Royal Dutch Shell RDSA +0.28% PLC Thursday appeared in court in the Netherlands for the first time over the actions of one of its foreign subsidiaries, facing compensation claims for environmental damage from oil spills in Nigeria.

The case could set a legal precedent over how Dutch companies are held responsible for the actions of their foreign subsidiaries.

The suit has been brought by environmental group Friends of the Earth Netherlands and four Nigerian farmers, who are seeking compensation over claims that oil spills from Shell pipelines in Nigeria have damaged their livelihood. They also say they want the Anglo-Dutch oil company, headquartered in The Hague, to complete a cleanup of the spills. read more

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Shell sued for negligence by Nigerian farmers

Four Nigerian villagers are suing Royal Dutch Shell for failing to clean-up oils spills that have destroyed their farms and damaged their health in landmark case that has started in The Hague.

By Louise Armitstead and Emily Gosden: 6:58PM BST 11 Oct 2012

The fishermen and farmers, who are backed by Friends of the Earth, are seeking unspecified damages for polluting land and waterways around their homes. That campaigners said that if successful, the case could open flood-gates to a raft of claims for compensation on Shell and other oil majors.

Channa Samkalden, a lawyer representing the Nigerians, told the court that Shell had allowed its pipelines to fall into disrepair and then had not cleaned up the mess from subsequent leaks. She said: “Shell knew for a long time that the pipeline was damaged but didn’t do anything. They could have stopped the leaks.” read more

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