Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said the oil industry needs to take the lead in the climate change conversation and be “less aloof,” according to media reports.
In his keynote speech at the International Petroleum Week dinner in London last night, van Beurden said the focus should be on cutting emissions by switching from coal to natural gas, deploying carbon capture and storage and creating a “well-executed” carbon pricing system, the Huffington Post reports.
He also said the industry needs to take a critical look at itself: “You cannot talk credibly about lowering emissions globally if, for example, you are slow to acknowledge climate change; if you undermine calls for an effective carbon price; and if you always descend into the ‘jobs versus environment’ argument in the public debate.”
Earlier this month Shell recommended its shareholders support a resolution requiring the company to more transparently disclose climate change risks to its business.
