Greenpeace and Shell settle $11m lawsuit

December 12th, 2024

Environmental activist group Greenpeace has reached a settlement with Shell over an $11 million lawsuit stemming from protests aimed at pressuring the oil giant to reduce carbon emissions.

Shell attempted to sue Greenpeace in response to protests conducted by the campaign group, in which nine activists climbed on one of Shell’s Penguins floating production storage and offloading units in the North Sea for 13 days over January and February 2023.

Greenpeace accused Shell of using “bullying tactics” against peaceful protests whereas the oil giant said “this kind of stunt at sea is a serious risk to safety and life.”

As part of the final settlement, Greenpeace will accept no liability and make no payment to Shell, instead agreeing to donate £300,000 to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The protesters have also signed a legally binding commitment to Shell, which prohibits them from carrying out any similar actions or protests near any key oil and gas platforms in the North Sea.

When first faced with the lawsuit, Greenpeace stated they would only accept a protest ban if Shell agreed to comply with the Netherlands court order requiring the company to reduce its emissions to 45% by 2030, compared to 2019, across all activities.

Areeba Hamid, co-executive director at Greenpeace UK, said: “Shell thought suing us for millions over a peaceful protest would intimidate us, but this case became a PR millstone tied around its neck. The public backlash against its bullying tactics made it back down and settle out of court,

This settlement shows that people power works. Thousands of ordinary people across the country backed our fight against Shell and their support means we stay independent and can keep holding Big Oil to account.”

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