Climate activists attempt to disrupt Shell’s annual meeting with the chant “Go To Hell, Shell.”

Climate Activists Attempt to Disrupt Shell Shareholder Meeting

Climate activists in London are taking their fight to the doorstep of Shell, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies. The activists attempted to rush the stage at the annual shareholder meeting, accusing the company of contributing to rising global temperatures. Fossil Free London posted footage of the chaotic scene, showing protesters chanting “Go to hell, Shell” and disrupting the meeting for over an hour.

UPDATE: Climate protesters attempt to storm the stage of Shell AGM!!!

As Shell continues to cause climate chaos, we will continue to do everything in our power to #ShutDownShell pic.twitter.com/yl2tJlZXUD

— Fossil Free London (@fossilfreeLDN) May 23, 2023

Despite Shell’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, the activists accused the company of not being interested in constructive engagement. The disruption was part of a larger movement to pressure companies to adopt various climate resolutions. Follow This, a network of green shareholders, introduced a measure that would have decreased emissions by 2030 but failed to gain enough support.

ESG Movement Faces Criticism

The environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) movement, which calls for the use of corporate power to promote social agendas, has faced criticism for distracting from profit maximization. Shareholders of investment and insurance conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway recently rejected similar climate proposals at an annual meeting. ESG funds also saw considerable losses amid last year’s underperformance among technology firms and overperformance among energy companies.

Opponents of a managed transition toward renewable energy have pointed out that increased carbon emissions from developing countries are outpacing emissions declines in the West. China, responsible for 26.1% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, has surpassed the United States and the European Union in emissions production.