Royal Dutch Shell is no longer a member of the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group — a leading climate change advocacy group it helped start 10 years ago.
Shell’s departure comes as environmentalists increasingly call for the oil company to halt its drilling operations in the Arctic Ocean.
A Shell spokesperson would not say why the company left the group.
Shell’s Natalie Mazey told Environmental Leader: “We are no longer a member of the Corporate Leaders’ Group, of which we were a founder member in 2005. Over that period both Shell and the CLG have worked to support the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), which we believe should be the main driver of change in the EU energy system. Shell will continue to progress this work in the EU, in collaboration with organizations specifically focused on the ETS, primarily the International Emissions Trading Association.”
The Guardian reports that other member companies weren’t happy about Shell exploring for more fossil fuels in the Arctic.
The CLG did not give a reason for Shell’s exit. The group did say that during its tenure in the CLG, Shell advocated for stronger carbon targets and carbon pricing, and was the only fossil fuel company to sign up to the Trillion Tonne Communiqué, the first business statement to include a call for a net zero emissions target.