A scientist is calling out a major oil company and its CEO on TikTok for crimes against sustainability.
Wael Sawan, the CEO of British petroleum company Shell, came under fire in this scientist's ongoing series dubbed "Big Oil Bad Guys."
Sawan and Shell have come under fire in 2024, most notably for walking back climate pledges and endangering a Pennsylvania community through the violation of environmental and public health standards.
@thegarbagequeen Wael Sawan is this week's ✨Big Oil Bad Guy✨ Wael Sawan is the CEO of Shell which made $83 billion in profit and spent $23 billion in shareholder payouts last year. Wael has a net worth of around $20 million, and he recently pledged to invest in new fossil fuel production for years to come despite scientists saying we need to do the opposite. We can hold Wael Sawan and Shell accountable for their crimes against humanity by divesting your money away from financial institutions that fund the fossil fuel industry. Link in bio to learn about moving banks! #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateAction #FossilFuels #BigOilBadGuys #WaelSawan #Shell #SustainableBanking ♬ original sound - Alaina Wood
This post by sustainability scientist Alaina Wood (@thegarbagetree) delineates the details of Sawan's salary and the dubious nature of his recent official activity.
"Wael has a net worth of around $20 million," she says. "Which could be used to purchase over 10,000 acres of land for conservation purposes."
The creator points out that Sawan and Shell have pledged to expand fossil fuel production in direct violation of their promise to make Shell a net-zero company by 2050.
Wood finishes the clip by offering that concerned parties can act by "moving our money away from financial institutions that fund the fossil fuel industry" and offering resources for folks interested in moving to green banks.
Sawan and Shell's relitigation of their promise to become a net-zero company by 2050 is hardly a surprise, but it still represents a blow to climate solutions.
The Guardian reported in January that Shell was facing pressure from a group of "activist investors" who own about 5% of the company. These investors demanded that Shell take a more aggressive stance on combating climate change and received positive concessions from the oil giant. Unfortunately, they may have turned out to be temporary.
Shell directly emitted 50 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2023 and, according to nonprofit research group Open Secrets, spent $7,850,000 lobbying politicians in the United States to strengthen the fossil fuel industry in the face of humanitarian reform.
The oil giant's failure to put people over profit represents a grave threat to people worldwide. Any company responsible for Shell's pollution should be held directly accountable for the negative impacts of climate change, which include such horrors as mass displacement, an increase in natural disasters, and steadily increasing frequency of drought (to name just a few).
Luckily, Shell has proved vulnerable to public pressure in the past, and climate activists have won new renewable energy projects worldwide to provide clean alternatives to dodgy corporations like Shell.
One commenter under the post captured the tone with a concise and driving statement. "Go to h*** Shell," they wrote.
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