December 7, 2006
MEDIA ADVISORY
Friends of the Earth International, Shell Accountability Campaign
PUBLIC ASKED TO PUT NAME TO SHELL ADVERT PETITION
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, December 7, 2006 -- People around
the world are being called on to add their name to an advert
petition in which thousands of individuals ask Anglo Dutch
oil giant Shell to invest its profits in reducing the damaging
impact of its operations around the globe. [1]
Friends of the Earth and community groups from all over the
world, working together in the Shell Accountability Campaign,
will use the signatures to publish large advertisements in
Dutch and UK newspapers when Shell
announces its 2006 results on February 1, 2007.
Shell has failed to meet its own standards or live up to
the green promises used in publicity campaigns and, despite
many promises, is still causing enormous environmental and
social problems at a variety of locations around the world.
Friends of the Earth International Corporates Campaigner
Paul de Clerck said: "This is the public's chance to
tell Shell that they want it to take responsibility for the
social and environmental damage it causes. Shell can no longer
ignore this message".
In 2005 Shell reported the highest profits ever made by a
Dutch company and expectations for 2006 are equally high.
Shell is a prominent member of the Global Compact, an ineffective
initiative of the United Nations, to promote Corporate Social
Responsibility. Shell also developed Business Principles and
was one of the first companies to produce a yearly Sustainability
Report. Despite all the promises within these initiatives,
people living around Shell facilities and the environment
are still losing out.
CASE STUDIES
NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA - November 2005: the Nigerian High
Court ruled that gas flaring was a 'gross violation' of the
rights to life and dignity. One year later Shell continues
to flare more than 600 million cubic metres gas in Nigeria.
The amount flared in 2001 equalled 40 per cent of gas consumption
on the entire continent of Africa. In spite of all its promises
to stop flaring gas, a good deal more gas was flared in 2005
than in 2002. The flaring causes serious air pollution. The
population of the Niger Delta suffers from a range of health
problems: an increased risk of asthma, chronic bronchitis,
leukaemia and increased child mortality.
According to the World Bank, smoke emitted during the flaring
is the major source of greenhouse gases in Sub-Saharan Africa.
For more information:
www.foei.org/publications/pdfs/gasnigeria.pdf
Dr. Saro-Wiwa, brother of Ken Saro-Wiwa who was executed by
the Nigeria government in 1995 for his protest against Shell,
says: "I do believe Shell knows that they are gassing
the community and no company in this world should be allowed
to gas its community."
SAKHALIN, RUSSIA - Shell is engaged in the world's largest
oil and gas production project, off the coast of the Russian
island Sakhalin. The oil pipeline runs through the island,
crossing 55 seismic faults and more than a thousand rivers.
The environmental permit for the project was recently suspended
by the Russian government, due to a large number of violations
of Russian environmental law. The Russian government is even
considering criminal prosecution. This would be justified:
the environmental permit should never have been issued. The
1200 kilometres of the pipeline that have already been laid
led to major social and environmental problems over the p-ast
few years. Erosion and pollution pose a threat to wild salmon.
This is an enormous problem for the indigenous people, who
are mostly fishermen. The project also places the last 100
West Pacific grey whales in the world under threat. Russian
environmental authorities estimate that damage from the project
amounts to 10 billion rubles (295 million euros).
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Friends of the Earth International: Paul de Clerck, Tel:
+32-494380959 (Belgian mobile)
Groundwork/Friends of the Earth South Africa, Bobby Peek,
Tel: +27-824641383 (South African mobile)
NOTES TO EDITORS
[1] Individuals can sign online and see a
preview of the adverts at http://www.shelladvert.org/index_engels.html
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