31 January 2007
Press release
Friends of the Earth International/ Shell
Accountability Campaign
New report: Shell: Use Your Profits To
Clean Up Your Mess
Report shows damage to the environment
and communities caused by Shell
Amsterdam (The Netherlands) / London (UK),
January 31st 2007 - - A new report, launched
the day before oil giant Shell announces its
2006 annual profits (1 February 2007) calls
on Shell to use the profits to begin cleaning
up damage it has caused to communities and
the environment [1].
The report offers proposals and figures
for where and how Shell should repair some of
the damage it has caused in nine communities
around the world.
The report is published by the Shell
Accountability Campaign, a network of
environmental, human rights and community
groups, including Friends of the Earth
International.
The coalition has analysed existing
information and carried out new research to
work out costs of cleaning up damage Shell
has caused at specific locations in Nigeria,
Russia, South Africa, Curacao, Brazil, the
USA, the Philippines, Ireland and
Barbados.
Adverts calling on Shell to use its
profits to clean up its mess are also
appearing in British newspaper The Guardian
and Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant on 1
February.
The adverts are signed and financially
supported by 6.700 people from 111 different
countries through a dedicated website:
www.shelladvert.org
"Shell's sky high profits over 2006 are
made at the expense of people and the
environment. We present here the unpaid
bills. Jeroen van der Veer of Shell should
acknowledge his responsibility for this and
allocate money to clean up the mess he made.
Today's report and full page advertisements
prove that public pressure on Shell is
growing," said Paul de Clerck, corporate
campaigner at Friends of the Earth
International.
In Nigeria, a country devastated by the
impacts of oil extraction, Shell should begin
by immediately stopping illegal gas flaring
at a cost of about $1.55 billion. It should
also start reserving money for clean up of
oil spills and compensating the Ijaw
communities, which will cost at least $11.5
billion.
In Sakhalin Island, Russia, a Shell
consortium is constructing a controversial
oil platform and pipeline which threatens
critically endangered whales, other wildlife
and habitats as well as the local fishing
industry. An initial cost of repairing
environmental damage has been estimated at
$376 million. In Durban, South Africa, local
communities are calling on Shell to replace
the old refinery and pipelines which would
cost approximately $6 billion. The existing
ageing infrastructure means that accidents
and leakages happen on a regular basis. The
local community suffers from health problems
due to air pollution.
In Ireland, where Shell is building a
controversial on shore gas refinery and high
pressure gas pipeline in an unstable peat bog
area and protected coastline, the company
could choose to listen to the local
community's concerns and refine the gas at
sea rather than on land. This reduction of
damage and risk would cost Shell
approximately $736 million.
For more information in the
Netherlands:
Anne van Schaik, Friends of the Earth
Netherlands/Milieudefensie +31 20 5507
333
In the UK:
Hannah Griffiths, Friends of the Earth
England Wales and Northern Ireland: +44 20
7566 1666
In Belgium:
Paul de Clerck, Friends of the Earth
International corporate campaigner:
+32-494380959 IN NIGERIA: Nnimmo Bassey,
Friends of the Earth Nigeria:
+234-8037274395
In the USA:
Denny Larson, Global Community Monitor
+1-4158454705 IN
South Africa:
Bobby Peek, Friends of the Earth South
Africa: +27-824641383
Notes
[1] The report "Use your profit to clean
up your mess" is available from the above
contacts and at:
www.foei.org/publications/pdfs/mdshellh.pdf
|
