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Court rules against Alaska Arctic drilling

Court rules against Alaska Arctic drilling

Yesterday a coalition of Alaska Native and environmental groups won against Arctic oil drilling in a Court of Appeals in the US. The Court ruled that the US government sold leases in the Chukchi Sea in 2008 illegally. Here’s a quick review of the history of the case and what the decision might mean. What...
The Arctic in New York - shareholders scrutinise Shell’s next move

The Arctic in New York – shareholders scrutinise Shell’s next move

Mika Minio-Paluello, Anna Galkina and James Marriott travelled in North America as part of a tour over September and October to promote The Oil Road – Journeys from the Caspian to the City of London. The eighth of a series of blogs on the journey comes from New York… It was Maurice Bridgeman who really...
Making a Killing: Oil Companies, Tax Avoidance and Subsidies

Making a Killing: Oil Companies, Tax Avoidance and Subsidies

Oil company mega-profits are being made at the expense of the public purse, as youth centres shut, hospitals struggle and the queues at food banks grow. Companies like BP & Shell receive major government support including direct subsidies and military and diplomatic services, but seem to pay very small amounts of UK tax in comparison...
Sticky future of Arctic oil - talk at Visionary Arctic seminar

Sticky future of Arctic oil – talk at Visionary Arctic seminar

Nearly one and a half years ago, we went on an incredible journey to Kirkenes in the North of Norway, on the invitation of Pikene på Broen (Women on the Bridge), organisers of the annual regional Barents Spektakel arts festival. For the 2013 festival Pikene invited us to speak at their Visionary Arctic seminar, amongst a...
Another storm for Shell highlights risks in financing Arctic oil & gas exploitation

Another storm for Shell highlights risks in financing Arctic oil & gas exploitation

On Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year when in southern Alaska there’s only a dull half-light for a handful of hours, Shell’s immense drilling rig Kulluk was dragged out to sea from Dutch Harbour, bound for the port of Seattle. This 28,000 tonne machine was being pulled past the Aleutian Islands though worsening...
Repeated Misadventures: Key questions for Shell on its Alaskan Arctic programme

Repeated Misadventures: Key questions for Shell on its Alaskan Arctic programme

On 8th January 2013, the U.S. Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, announced a review of the 2012 Alaskan Arctic offshore drilling programme “to review practices and identify challenges as well as lessons learned.” The review to be completed within 60 days will focus on the successive setbacks encountered by Shell during 2012. These include its failure...

Out in the Cold – new report on Shell’s plans in the Arctic

Shell’s Annual General Meeting tomorrow is unlikely to go calmly. The company’s problems range from anger over excessive executive pay to spills in the Niger delta. At this time, Platform, Greenpeace and FairPensions are putting to scrutiny offshore Arctic exploration as a key direction in the company’s strategy. The new report ‘Out in the Cold...
Out in the Cold: Investor Risk in Shell's Arctic Exploration

Out in the Cold: Investor Risk in Shell’s Arctic Exploration

Royal Dutch Shell’s plans for Arctic exploration are exposing investors to a ‘spectrum of risks’, this new report by Platform, Fairpensions, and Greenpeace warns. Download the report (pdf) and investor briefing or read online below. The report highlights Shell’s failure to address key concerns for investors and environmentalists: • Spill response plans are inadequate –...

Risking ruin: Shell’s investments in Tar Sands, the Arctic and Nigeria

This article first appeared as an introduction to a report, Risking Ruin: Shell’s dangerous developments in the Tar Sands, Arctic and Nigeria, published on 18 May 2012 by Indigenous Environmental Network and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. As economic austerity bites, major oil companies are making staggering profits. A high oil price in 2011 made Shell $30.92 billion in annual...
Risking Ruin: Shell’s dangerous developments in the Tar Sands, Arctic and Nigeria

Risking Ruin: Shell’s dangerous developments in the Tar Sands, Arctic and Nigeria

Shell’s plant is located directly on my father’s hunting grounds and today, instead of feeding my family, these lands kill my community. Shell’s plans to expand bitumen refining in an area already devastated by pollution is effectively a death sentence for our culture, lands and people. Ron Plain This report profiles the global Indigenous communities impacted by Shell’s operations in Canada’s Alberta Tar Sands,...
"Shell no" to Arctic Drilling

“Shell no” to Arctic Drilling

Guest post by Emilie Surrusco, Alaska Wilderness League Right now, Shell’s drill ships are on their way to the pristine Arctic Ocean off the coast of Alaska. And despite all the glossy advertising, promotional videos, and slick promises from Shell, the oil giant is proceeding with its plans to drill 10 exploratory wells – with...