Shell CEO Wael Sawan is under pressure from internal staff, according to an open letter which criticised the environmental policies of the fossil fuel business.
The letter, which was seen by the publication Reuters, was allegedly posted earlier this month on Shell’s internal web.
It urged the CEO to invest more in renewable energy, “For a long time, it has been Shell’s ambition to be a leader in the energy transition. It is the reason we work here,” it read.
“The recent announcements at and after the capital markets day deeply concern us…We can only hope the optics of the CMD announcements are deceiving us and that Shell continues its path as a leader in the energy transition.”
In July Shell’s head of renewables Thomas Brostrum quit after Sawan abandoned plans to cut oil production.
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The Shell boss told the BBC’s Simon Jack that “The reality is that the energy system of today continues to desperately need oil and gas, and before we are able to let go of that we need to make sure we have developed the energy systems of the future”.
“We are not yet collectively moving at the pace that is required for that to happen”.
The Church of England, who had for many years rejected calls to drop fossil fuel links, scrapped its investment in Shell over the move from renewables, and released an open letter criticising the fossil fuel giant after it failed to increase emissions reduction to align with the Paris target.
The advertising company Havas Media was criticised last week for taking on Shell’s B2C media buying strategy account.
A raft of organisations including the LGBT Awards and the British Museum have all distanced themselves from fossil fuel sponsorships.
