Shell takes its tar sands spectacle on the road

18 May 2010

Shell-shaped maple leaf visits European Parliament

In previous articles on this website, we have drawn attention to the anti-climate lobby activities of European companies acting both inside and outside the EU. It seems this week one such company is bringing reinforcements from across the Atlantic. Alberta’s environment [sic] minister Rob Renner is meeting EU policy makers in Brussels and Strasbourg this week. Rumour has it that the main goal of this auspicious visit is to water down EU fuel legislation, which otherwise would allow the EU to bar the import of carbon- intensive and highly polluting tar sands-extracted oil.

The icing on the cake of his visit is the dinner offered by Royal Dutch Shell, assisted by MEP Christian Ehler (EPP - Germany), to the members of European Parliament. The topic of the dinner debate, as you might have guessed, is tar sands oil extraction.

At a time when another European oil company is responsible for a major environmental disaster in the Mexican Gulf, Shell clearly sees no problem with force-feeding EU policy makers into implicitly endorsing another damaging oil exploitation scheme.

Let’s be clear: the extraction of tar sands oil in Canada is responsible for significant growth in emissions in North America as well as for the reluctance of the Canadian government to accept either a decent 2020 emission reduction target or to comply with the Kyoto protocol.

Shell, under the auspices of ACEI and Business Europe, claims that a 30% EU emission reduction target cannot be accepted because of climate inaction in other parts of the world. But they should be careful making such claims - their hypocrisy could leave a bad taste in the mouths of their dinner guests this week.

Bon appetit!