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For Immediate Release
Contact:

In Europe: Melanie Mattauch, Europe Communications Coordinator, melanie@350.org, +49 151 5812 0184, In the US: Lindsay Meiman, US Communications Coordinator, lindsay@350.org, +1 (347) 460-9082

350.org on Latest Investigative Reports that #ShellKnew Too

WASHINGTON

Today, internal company documents uncovered by a Dutch news organization found that Shell knew about climate change as far back as the 1980s. Despite this, similar to ExxonMobil, Shell executives chose to publicly stress uncertainty to sow a phony debate about the reality of climate change.

Bill McKibben, author and 350.org co-founder, said:

"Had they merely been candid with the world, we could have gotten to work then, and while global warming would not yet be 'solved,' we'd be well on the way. Instead they appear to have chosen the path of hedging, minimizing, and diverting--and given the stakes, this was both tragic and immoral. Shell knew. And now we do too."

May Boeve, 350.org Executive Director, said:

"Just like Exxon, Shell knew about the dangers of climate change and instead chose to embark on a decades-long campaign of deception. These reports reaffirm that fossil fuel companies have been -- and always will be -- bad actors. To all elected officials and institutions let this be a sign: there's no excuse left to have ties to these rogue corporations. It's up to all of us to hold the likes of Shell accountable, and build the fossil free world that puts people and our planet first."

This comes as reports reveal that glaciers in Antarctica are melting far more rapidly than expected, and just one day after Milieudefensie announced plans to sue Shell over its role in causing climate change.

350 is building a future that's just, prosperous, equitable and safe from the effects of the climate crisis. We're an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.