CNBC

Governments and Big Oil were first. The next wave of climate lawsuits will target banks and boards

GLASGOW, Scotland — Financial institutions and individual board members could be the next targets of climate litigation cases, according to the campaigners who helped to secure a landmark courtroom victory against oil giant Royal Dutch Shell.

It comes at a time when countries are scrambling to reach consensus in the final days of the COP26 climate summit. Negotiators from 197 countries are taking part in discussions with the goal of keeping the all-important global target of 1.5 degrees Celsius alive. read more

The Telegraph

We’ll all pay for turning Big Oil into a pariah

JEREMY WARNER 5 November 2021 • 6:00am: Extracts

If nothing else, the apparent contradiction in aims highlights a basic truth about “Big Oil”; like it or not, the world remains overwhelmingly dependent on hydrocarbons for its energy needs; however fast we invest in alternatives, that’s not going to change for some time to come.

Both of Britain’s oil majors, BP and Shell, have ambitious plans to transform themselves into clean energy enterprises, yet to the fury of Extinction Rebellion activists, the bulk of their investment is still heavily focused on oil and gas. As it is, they are arguably not investing nearly enough in hydrocarbons. read more

FROM A MAJOR ARTICLE ON TWO-THIRDS OF PAGE 8 OF THE SUNDAY TIMES BUSINESS SECTION OCT 31, 2021

How should Shell, Glencore and British American Tobacco deal with their “toxic” legacy businesses?

Robert Watts: Sunday October 31 2021, 12.01am, The Sunday Times

Ben Van Beurden knew last weekend that he was facing one of the more trying weeks of his 38 years at Shell. But he still had no clue of the impending ambush being prepared by an American billionaire activist investor.

Shell’s chief executive knew the quarterly figures for the oil and gas giant he would unveil on Thursday would be bad. Profits between July and September came in at $4.1 billion (£3 billion) — well below the $5.4 billion expected and 25 per cent down on the previous quarter. read more

The Washington Post

Break-up calls and congressional hearings: Big Oil faces growing pressure to change

Ahead of the COP26 Summit, oil executives made a historic appearance on Capitol Hill and Shell faced a hedge funds’s call to split up its business.

On the eve of a pivotal global climate summit, the world’s oil giants have been swamped by calls from activists, investors and lawmakers to move faster to transform their businesses, cut down greenhouse gas emissions and take responsibility for their role in the climate crisis. read more

OILPRICE.COM

U.S. Utilities Could Face Slew Of Climate Lawsuits

By Leonard Hyman & William Tilles – Aug 16, 2021, 4:00 AM CDT

Several years ago, a major US electric utility, wrote in its 10-K , a document filed annually with federal securities regulators, that it could not “currently estimate the financial impact of climate policies… or litigation alleging …” damages, but admitted they could require “material capital…” (FirstEnergy, 2018 10-K. Fast forward to the 2020 document, FirstEnergy said it could not predict “timing and ultimate outcome..” of environmental actions. Not much progress.) Was that cautionary verbiage a hint? (Not being forthcoming in documents like the 10-K carries significant legal penalties, so take it seriously.) read more

The Motley Fool

Rupert Hargreaves | Saturday, 14th August, 2021

Extracts:

The Royal Dutch Shell (LSE: RDSB) share price used to be a staple holding for income investors. That was until the company cut its dividend last year for the first time since the Second World War.

Volatile oil prices have always been a risk for the enterprise. In the past, the group’s size and diversification has helped it manage this uncertainty. However, I think the threat of climate change now presents an even more considerable risk for the company and one that could jeopardise its very existence. read more