Just came into my email box from Union of Concerned Scientists.
Shell just announced that it plans to sever ties with the climate science denying American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)! You helped make this happen by sending more than 130,000 emails to Shell’s CEO and creating public pressure on social media. Combine that with UCS staff members working to expose ALEC’s climate disinformation and meeting with Shell executives—as well as the efforts of several partner organizations and shareholder groups—and Shell clearly felt the pressure!Wow, eh?Thank you. Today, Shell’s spokesperson said that ALEC’s “stance on climate change is clearly inconsistent with our own.…As part of an ongoing review of memberships and affiliations, we will be letting our association with ALEC lapse when the current contracted term ends early next year.”
When even big oil companies publicly accept the science and cut ties with climate denial front groups, you know we are making progress.
Shell’s decision to leave ALEC—a leading front group giving voice to climate deniers and attacking clean energy policies—is an important victory toward stopping the spread of climate disinformation. Shell joins BP, ConocoPhillips, and dozens of technology corporations who have recently left ALEC, further marginalizing this climate denial group and reducing its influence over climate and energy policy.
Severing ties with ALEC is a small but important step by Shell to align its actions with recent public statements about “not aligning with skeptics” and the fact that climate change is “a threat we want to act on;” however, there is more for the company to do. So stay tuned for additional opportunities to encourage Shell to both live up to its statements and help combat climate change.
But for now, thanks again and congratulations on a job well done! Sincerely, David Anderson National Field Organizer Climate and Energy Program Union of Concerned Scientists