Big Oil's Dark Side: Bp And Shell's Pollution Problem

Oil giants BP and Shell have been referred to as the 'titans of pollution'. Both companies have been accused of lobbying against climate policies and polluting the environment. BP has been accused of backing anti-climate lobby groups, while Shell has dumped roughly 1.5-2 million tonnes of waste into Busca Bay in Willemstad, which is now known as Asphalt Lake. Despite this, Shell's shares have climbed 20% since 2023, while BP's have dropped 5%.

Shell and BP's membership of anti-climate lobby groups

Despite their pledges, BP and Shell are listed as top members of the Consumer Energy Alliance, a group run by the Republican-linked consultancy HBW Resources. The group is a party to a lawsuit seeking to overturn Oregon's clean fuel program, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport fuels. In 2015, Shell spent $22 million on lobbying activities against climate policies and has dumped 1.5-2 million tonnes of waste into Busca Bay in Willemstad. Shell has been aware of the impact of fossil fuels for over 30 years.

BP and Shell have also been referred to as the "titans of pollution", with a possible merger between the two companies being described as a "corporate fantasy". While Shell's shares have climbed 20% since 2023, BP's have dropped 5%.

Shell's dumping of waste into Busca Bay in Willemstad

Oil companies like BP and Shell have been accused of causing pollution and contributing to climate change. BP and Shell are listed as top members of the Consumer Energy Alliance, which has opposed rules to limit emissions of methane from oil and gas operations and pollution from coal power stations. BP and Shell have also been accused of lobbying against climate policies and investing in fossil fuels while pretending to care about the environment.

Shell has been specifically criticised for dumping approximately 1.5-2 million tonnes of waste into Busca Bay in Willemstad, which is now known as Asphalt Lake. This incident has highlighted the company's awareness of the impact of fossil fuels, as well as its failure to prioritise environmental concerns. In response to this criticism, Shell announced a $300 million fund in 2019 to invest in natural ecosystems over a three-year period.

In addition to Shell's actions, waste is regularly dumped in the vicinity of St. Joris Bay in Willemstad, as reported by the Curaçao Chronicle in 2013. This issue was brought to light during the St. Joris Bay Endless Summer Sports Festival, when a reader sent a photo of the illegal dump site to the Dutch news site Versgeperst.com. The photo showed waste dumped near a dilapidated house next to the entrance of the bay.

Furthermore, ocean dumping has been a historical practice in Southern California, with multiple government agencies approving the disposal of various types of waste at deep-water locations off the coast. While the EPA and other agencies have been aware of these practices, there is limited knowledge about the history, nature, and sources of the waste.

Shell's lobbying against climate policies

Shell has been accused of lobbying against climate policies. In 2015, the energy company spent roughly $22 million on lobbying activities against climate policies. Shell has also dumped roughly 1.5-2 million tonnes of waste into Busca Bay in Willemstad, which, to this day, is known as Asphalt Lake.

Shell was also part of the Global Climate Coalition, which was established in 1989 to discredit climate science and torpedo climate policy. Royal Dutch Shell withdrew from the organisation in 1997, due to pressure from both its own employees and the environmental movement, and Shell Oil US followed in 1998. But until 2015, Shell remained part of the lobbying group ALEC, which disputes that human activity is the cause of climate change. Shell is still a member of organisations such as the API and the European Chemical Industry Council, which obstruct climate policies.

Shell says that it embraces the Paris Agreement and expresses its support for an energy transition. However, it finances climate-change sceptics and uses shrewd lobbying techniques to effectively torpedo climate policy. Shell is also listed as a top member of the Consumer Energy Alliance, which bills itself as the “voice of the energy consumer,” but is actually run by the Republican-linked consultancy HBW Resources. The group was party to a lawsuit seeking to overturn Oregon’s clean fuel program, which aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport fuels.

BP's shares dropping 5%

BP and Shell are two of the most polluting companies in the world. In 2023, Shell was listed as one of the top 14 most polluting companies. The company has been aware of the impact of fossil fuels for over 30 years, yet has continued to lobby against climate policies. In 2015, Shell spent $22 million on lobbying activities and has dumped 1.5-2 million tonnes of waste into Busca Bay in Willemstad, which is now known as Asphalt Lake.

BP has also been accused of causing pollution and lobbying against climate policies. The company is listed as a top member of the Consumer Energy Alliance, a group that opposes limits on emissions of methane from oil and gas operations and pollution from coal power stations.

Despite their pledges to reduce emissions and invest in natural ecosystems, both companies have faced criticism for their environmental impact. In 2024, there was buzz about a possible merger between the two companies, dubbed the "titans of pollution". While this merger never materialised, it highlighted the ongoing issues surrounding these companies and their impact on the environment.

In the same year, BP's shares dropped 5%, underperforming not just Shell but also American giants like Chevron and Exxon Mobil. This drop in share price could be attributed to a number of factors, including the company's environmental record and the increasing focus on renewable energy sources. While the exact cause of the share price drop is unknown, it is clear that BP has faced challenges in recent years, both environmentally and financially.

Shell's shares climbing 20%

Shell's shares have climbed 20% since Wael Sawan took over in January 2023. This is despite the company's poor environmental record, including dumping 1.5-2 million tonnes of waste into Busca Bay in Willemstad, which is now known as Asphalt Lake. Shell has also spent millions on lobbying activities against climate policies.

Shell and BP have been referred to as the 'titans of pollution' and there has been talk of a possible merger between the two companies. BP's shares have dropped 5% and it has underperformed not just Shell but also American giants like Chevron and Exxon Mobil.

Both Shell and BP are listed as top members of the Consumer Energy Alliance, a group that has opposed rules to limit emissions of methane from oil and gas operations and pollution from coal power stations. The group was also party to a lawsuit seeking to overturn Oregon's clean fuel program, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport fuels.

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