Shell is breaking up with Nigeria after 86 years

Hi friend,

Shell is breaking up with Nigeria after 86 years.

Can you imagine being with someone for nearly a century, only for them to ditch you when you’re dry, shrivelled up, and have “declining productivity”? And that’s not the worst of it. Your partner will sell your scraggly ass for over a billion bucks and then leave you to defend for yourself.

That’s what Shell is doing to Nigeria in ducking out of its onshore oil and gas operations there and selling its joint venture stake to a consortium of mostly local companies.

Why? Because it wants to "simplify its portfolio" and "reduce risks” in a country where oil production is declining.

It’s not me, it’s you.

But let’s strip away the greenwashing corporate speak. Shell has contributed to an environmental nightmare in the Niger Delta, where years of oil spills have contaminated water, soil, and people’s livelihoods.

Now, after nearly a century of sucking the land dry, Shell has joined Exxon Mobil, Italy's Eni, and Norway's Equinor in handing the responsibility for dealing with spills, theft, and sabotage to the locals who never asked for this mess in the first place.

For an idea of how bad it is, watch this:

It’s not your fault, but it is your problem.

By pulling out of its joint venture, Shell is passing the environmental and financial buck to its partners: Nigeria’s state oil company and France’s TotalEnergies. And it will pocket a cool US$1.3 billion in the process.

But Shell isn't done with Nigeria.

Its eyes are on more lucrative, less problematic virgin horizons: offshore drilling and the expansion of its gas operations. Because chasing more money is a lot more exciting than addressing your fuck-ups from the past – especially if you can pay someone else to take on the accountability.

So, stay tuned for the next chapter in the story of Shell’s Environmental Footprint in Nigeria: Plundering the Deep Seas. It’s bound to be a killer.

— Tarryn ✌️

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This week's climate and sustainability news worth noting

🌍 Policymakers and world leaders met in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum this week, and while phasing out fossil fuels was at the top of the climate agenda, the climate crisis in general took a back-burner, with most discussions focusing on AI and upcoming elections.

🇪🇺 The European Union wants to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions 90% by 2040, from 1990 levels. It’s drafting its first 2040 climate target, to bridge the gap between its existing goals to cut net emissions 55% by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050.

👋 John Kerry, the US’s special envoy for climate change, has resigned after three years in a position created specifically for him. Kerry used his influence at global climate summits and was the first to hold a climate-specific role on the National Security Council. He has been a vocal advocate for climate action, pushing for ambitious US greenhouse gas reduction targets. The future of this role in the US government remains uncertain.

🧊 The Greenland ice sheet is losing 20% more ice than previously thought and almost every glacier is retreating. This could threaten ocean currents that help to regulate global temperatures. Read my past newsletter to find out why this is bad news. 

👩🏻‍⚖️ Colorado has appointed two legal guardians to act on behalf of a section of Boulder Creek and its watershed situated within the town of Nederland. This is the first time humans have been appointed to act as legal guardians for nature within the US. The guardians will prepare annual reports about the ecosystems’ health and make recommendations on improving water quality, wildlife habitats, and wetlands protection. 

👏 Also in Colorado, a year after the state imposed a fee on single-use plastic bags, it’s been estimated that between 1.5 billion and 1.8 billion fewer plastic bags were used in Colorado in 2023.

🪧 Eight people from the Caribbean island of Bonaire are suing the Netherlands, accusing it of violating their human rights by not doing enough to protect them from the climate crisis. The group has approached The Hague, asking it to order the Netherlands to cut its greenhouse emissions faster and to help its most vulnerable territories adapt to the impact of the climate crisis.

🌀 Wild weather:

🇺🇸 New York’s dry spell is over. The city saw its biggest single-day snowfall in nearly two years on Tuesday.

🇩🇪 Heavy snow and freezing rain in Germany caused the cancellation of thousands of flights.

And in business news

💸 The US will start fining oil and gas companies for emitting methane, a potent greenhouse gas that’s 80 times more powerful than CO2 in heating the atmosphere. Energy producers face fines of US$900 for every tonne of methane emissions that exceed levels set by the federal government, beginning this year. The fee will increase to $1,200 per tonne in 2025, and $1,500 in 2026.

👏 Greenpeace and its partner, Nature and Youth, have been successful in getting three permits given by the Norwegian government to develop new offshore oil and gas fields declared invalid because their environmental impact was not sufficiently assessed.

🩴 Just when you thought it couldn’t get uglier than Crocs clogs, British footwear brand Vivobarefoot has partnered with material science firm Balena to develop the world’s first 3D-printed shoes that are fully compostable and recyclable. Custom-made to measure, the process produces less waste and ensures the shoes fit you perfectly. It also means that you can’t give them away when they arrive in the mail and you realise your mistake:

Well, that's interesting

😲

Two new sections have been added to the Crochet Coral Reef project, an incredible mix of art and science that was started in 2005 by Australian sisters Margaret and Christine Wertheim.

So far, about 25,000 crochet volunteers, nicknamed "reefers," have made over 50 reef-inspired pieces. This project is not just about making art; it's also about drawing attention to how climate change is impacting coral reefs.

One of the sisters, a scientist, looks at the data about what might happen to reefs because of climate change. Then, the reefers use their crochet skills to turn these ideas into art for the Crochet Coral Reef.

The result is jaw-dropping:

The project includes some special pieces from artists around the world. For example, there's a "bleached reef" section that shows how higher ocean temperatures can harm corals. There's also a "coral forest" made from yarn and plastic – to raise awareness of pollution in our oceans.

One small thing you can do

Buy in bulk.

Lunchbox-sized packets of chips and biscuits are convenient but they also add to the growing rubbish and plastic pollution problem.

And I don’t know about you, but I’ve noticed there’s less and less in those packets than there used to be (you know, back in the old days, because that’s a thing I say now).

So, next time you’re shopping for school snacks, choose the big bags – hell, grab a party size bag – and pop a few into a container. It works out cheaper, you produce less waste, and your kiddo will get more chips than are in those pathetic little single serves.

Because lots of little actions combined can add up to something remarkable.

I'll leave you on this happy note...

I can’t get enough of Neil the Seal 🦭

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