Shell AGM stopped by Christian Climate Action protestors

Protesters outside Shell AGM at Excel Centre

Source: CCA/CoE

Yesterday, around thirty Christians were amongst the crowds protesting at the Shell AGM, which took place at Excel London. Members of Christian Climate Action gathered outside for a prayer vigil and held banners reading 'No Faith In Fossil Fuels' and 'Your Greed is Killing Humanity'. Other protestors present played drums and called out chants.

Activities also took place inside the building. A number of Christians joined people to make a protest choir - singing messages urging Shell to change their practices. People stood up in the AGM, giving impromptu speeches - outlining examples of damage that Shell has caused and sharing messages from individuals on the front lines of climate breakdown.

A number of activists also tried to run onto the stage at the front of the AGM, with shouts from across the centre of 'shut down Shell'. The AGM proceedings were considerably disrupted, until protestors were carried out individually by police.

Mother-of-three Ruth Jarman is a Christian who was involved in the climate choir. She said: "'In CCA, we've been praying for the conversion of the fossil fuel companies. These are the principalities and powers of our age but they are run by human beings with hearts and souls as well as minds who are not beyond redemption. As I sang I was praying for the dangerous entity that is Shell to go to hell but for the board of Shell to repent and to spend the rest of their lives redressing the immense damage they have caused."

In 2021, the International Energy Agency said that exploitation and development of new oil and gas fields must stop if the world is to stay within safe limits of global heating. Despite this, Shell plans to develop new fossil fuel extraction sites, including Penguins and Jackdaw. Shell made £32 billion profit in 2022, double the previous years total and the highest in its 115-year history. The company's recently departed CEO saw his pay increase more than 50% to nearly £10m in the last year, including a £2.6m bonus. Meanwhile 7million people in the UK experienced fuel poverty in 2022.

Mike Mullins, was one of the Christians inside the building who stood up and spoke out at the AGM. He said: "I am protesting at today's Shell AGM because Shell has a record of blighting communities across the world and destroying wildlife habitats. In the global south people fight for their homes and very survival, as Shell plunders their land and burns their future. In the Philippines people are resisting Shell's ocean wrecking oil infrastructure in the Verde Island Passage - an area known for its unique biodiversity. In South Africa people are resisting Shell's seismic blasting on the Gold Coast. Shell has a long history of ignoring human rights and the right of animals and wildlife. Shell is just about extraction, exploitation and execution. Shell needs to change. It needs to be part of the solution not part of the problem."

Melanie Nazareth, is a barrister and member of Christian Climate Action who took part in the vigil outside the AGM. She says: "I'm protesting here at the Shell AGM to highlight that the Shell Board are choosing to continue their path of climate destruction when they could be helping the world move to renewable energy. As a Christian I am commanded to love my neighbour, and the climate change that Shell is deliberately fuelling in pursuit of ever increasing profits is killing our vulnerable sisters and brothers around the world. I cannot be a bystander in the face of such injustice."

Sister Kate Midgely, from London, was also outside the building taking part in the vigil: "I'm here today to cry out to God about the damage the burning of fossil fuels is causing to the earth, our common home, which is leading to a human induced mass extinction. I'm here to pray that all who work for Shell will have a moment of awakening and a profound change of mind and heart. As Pope Francis has said 'From God's hands we have received a garden we cannot leave a desert to our children.'"

At the same time as the protest at the Shell AGM, two concurrent protests also took place at Blackrock and Vanguard - Shell's largest share holders. Signs held at these protests read "Blackrock and Vanguard are complicit and profiting from Shell's crimes against people and the planet".

Over the last month members of Christian Climate Action have been protesting at AGMs for three banks - Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds. The protesters were calling upon these banks to stop their funding of fossil fuel companies.

At the Barclays AGM, around 40 people, who had bought shares to gain access to the meeting, disrupted the AGM through song. During the opening remarks by the Barclays chairman, the group started singing a Spice Girls song, but with lyrics changed to point out the terrible damage caused by Barclays funding fossil fuel production: "Stop right now, no more oil and gas, stop funding fossil fuels and end this madness…"

Dave Mitchell, from Bristol, was part of the choir that sung. He said: "Barclays Bank is Europe's biggest funder of fossil fuel companies, pouring billions into new oil and gas exploration. The science is clear that fossil fuels cause climate change, leading to extreme weather events around the world, and ultimately to mass societal collapse."

At the Lloyds AGM a number of individuals stood up in the middle of proceedings and called upon the bank to stop funding fossil fuel companies. One of those was Christian Climate Action member Drew James, who in a hopeful and prophetic statement, urged the bank to be the first real green high street bank. Drew explains, "I was very nervous and quite tense. There was heckling against us, but I hope the board were listening and heard what we were saying".

While many Christian groups took part in the protests, the Church of England Pensions Board is a Shell shareholder. They issued the following statement at the AGM.

"We were, until 2021, the designated co-lead investor for the CA100+ engagement with Shell.

In 2021, the Pensions Board attended the AGM and stated our support for Shell's Climate Transition Plan, which was put to a shareholder vote for the first time at that meeting. We noted Shell was a first mover on a number of fronts, including on scope 3 emissions, climate lobbying and was one of the first global companies to offer a shareholder vote on a transition plan. While the plan was not perfect it was positioning Shell as a constructive actor in shaping the long term transition.

However, today, we see a different path being taken.

Despite Shell posting record profits in 2022 and having the highest capital expenditure of $25 billion among its peers, its capital expenditure into renewables and low carbon energy is far lower than would be expected by a company seeking to shape a future in the transition.

These investments are lower than your most comparable peer, BP.

You are investing the most of your European peers in upstream oil and gas production.

Whilst acknowledging the importance of your 2050 target, your short and medium term targets remain insufficient, according to independent analysis.

It has been widely reported that you are reviewing your plan to reduce oil output during this decade, and the Chair of Shell Australia has spoken out against more ambitious climate policy in that jurisdiction.

Taken together this is deeply concerning.

As a long term institutional investor our duty is to our pension fund members and their long term interests as well as the world they will retire into. These interests are not being served by the short term approach that the company appears to be taking.

Although we were willing to offer you our support in the past, today we cannot and it is with regret that we have voted against the re-election of all Shell directors, and we have also voted in support of the Follow This resolution. Today we have used our vote, but as we indicated in 2021, we are also prepared to restrict investment in the company if we do not see a change in direction.

We believe the Company has a choice. We would encourage the Board to reflect upon the future that society is demanding set out in the Paris Agreement, and what role Shell is really playing in shaping it.

Therefore my question to the Board of Directors and Chair, is will you return to the path you were on? Prioritise the long-term and commit to phase out capex into oil and gas production, increase your short and medium term emissions reduction targets and double down on being a constructive actor in shaping an orderly energy transition."