Milieudefensie response to Alice from Shell.mov

[AlicefromShell]

Hello Sonny, I’ll respond to your assertions with facts, which I gave you at our meeting in Rotterdam two weeks ago:

Assertion 1: Shell refuses to give information that makes us believe that they are reducing the gas flaring in Nigeria.

Facts: We report each year on progress to reduce flaring in the 'Shell in Nigeria Briefing Notes', and the Shell Sustainability Report 2010. In 2010 we also published a new gas flaring briefing note and new web page 'Flaring in Nigeria' on shell.com.

[milieudefensie]

@AlicefromShell Of course you are responding to SOME questions, but not to the KEY question about gasflaring in Nigeria: when will you stop this extremely destructive and illegal practice ? In your own words: "When the flares will be out, I can't really say"

[AlicefromShell]

Assertion 2: Shell made $14 billion profits since 2002.

Facts: SPDC didn’t make $14 billion. The true figure is a fraction of that. But that’s not the point. Investment to cut flaring needs all the JV partners to provide their share of funding. Security problems in the delta and funding delays from our majority government partner have delayed projects. Security and funding has now improved, so we have restarted projects worth an additional $ 2 billion that will help reduce flaring further.

[milieudefensie]

@AlicefromShell Today the newspapers report that Shell'sprofit have gone up with 18 percent and that Shell has made a profit of 3.5 billion US dollars in just the last three months. According to Shell's own figures this would be more than enough to end all gasflaring in Nigeria. Alice, why doesn Shell use its profits to clean up its mess ?

[milieudefensie]

@AlicefromShell Today the newspapers report that Shell's profit has gone up with 18 percent compared to last year and that Shell has made a profit of 3.5 billion US dollars in just the last three months. According to Shell's own figures this would be more than enough to end all gasflaring in Nigeria. Alice, why doesn Shell use its profits to clean up its mess ?

[milieudefensie]

@AlicefromShell Today the newspapers report that Shell's profit has gone up with 18 percent compared to last year and that Shell has made a profit of 3.5 billion US dollars in just the last three months. According to Shell's own figures this would be more than enough to end all gasflaring in Nigeria. Alice, why doesn't Shell uses its profits to clean up its mess ?

[AlicefromShell]

Assertion 3: When it comes to reducing flaring, the region is too dangerous. But when it comes to making profits, it is not.

Facts: In 2006 armed attacks forced the SPDC JV to shut down most operations in the western delta. In 2008-9 gangs kidnapped 62 SPDC employees and contractors. 3 people died in assaults. SPDC JV facilities can produce one million barrels of oil equivalent a day on average. In 2009 it produced an average of 470,000 barrels a day, due to security and funding issues.

[milieudefensie]

@AlicefromShell I truly regret the kidnapping and killings of anyone in the Niger Delta, including of course Shell employees. However, you have to ask yourself why Shell personel are running so much risk in this region and why tehy are so are so unpopular. Wouldn't it be because you are not respecting the Nigerian law, you are causing massive pollution and you are violating human rights, ? ( see: Amnesty International in its report "Petroleum, pollution and poverty in the Niger Delta".)

[AlicefromShell]

Assertion 4: Shell refuses to own up to its mess.

Facts: Each year SPDC publishes the number, volume and cause of spills from SPDC joint venture facilities in Nigeria, including those due to maintenance , human or operational error. SPDC is the only company in Nigeria to report this information. The photos you use in the video actually show oil pollution from sabotage which you have taken from Shell’s Youtube video: ‘Shell film about illegal oil refining in the Niger Delta’. This is misleading.

[milieudefensie]

@AlicefromShell Sorry Alice, but you are not anwsering the question. The allegation is that Shell doesn't clean up its mess. This undeniable fact is widely documented and has been extensively reported by the international media over the last year. I think it is about time that Shell puts its money where its mouth is and starts a serious clean up of the Niger Delta.

[AlicefromShell]

Talking about causes of spills in the delta, it would be useful for people to view your own Youtube film: ‘May 16 2009, Visit to an illegal oil refinery in the Niger Delta’, or CNN’s TV story ‘Death and oil in Niger Delta’s illegal refineries’ August 4 2010, or the press release by the United Nations Environmental Programme ‘Impacted marine ecosystem investigation in Gokhana reveals widespread contamination’ June 4 2010. All show environmental damage from widespread illegal activities there.

[milieudefensie]

@AlicefromShell We know there is impact from illegal actvities and sabotage. But that's not the point here. Sunny is talking about the negative impact of Shell on the environment and human rights in Nigeria and about the fact that Shell is not taking its responsibility to adress this situation. Why are you avoiding Sunny's question ? Is it because you have no plausible anwser ?