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Sierra Club Letter to Shell Nov. 10, 1997 Philip J. Carroll Dear Mr. Carroll: Today is the second anniversary of the execution of Nigerian writer and environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Today in Washington, D.C., around the U.S. and indeed around the world, demonstrators took to the streets to protest Shell’s operations in Nigeria. Enclosed please find a copy of our press release from today’s event and petitions containing the signatures of 4,183 Americans who have pledged to boycott your company until it cleans up its act. The protests took place, and will continue to take place, because there is very little evidence that Shell has accepted responsibility for its actions in Nigeria or even changed its operating procedures. Shell has yet to sit down and negotiate with the leaders of MOSOP -- though we have seen reports that Shell’s Nigeria representatives have tried to bribe local MOSOP members into signing letters inviting the company to return to Ogoni. The areas of Nigeria’s Ogoniland that your company severely polluted have yet to be cleaned up, yet your company has eagerly pursued oil development elsewhere in Nigeria. This past spring at your annual meeting in London, grand pronouncements were made about Shell’s standard of operations. It was announced that Shell would begin respecting human rights, the environment, and begin working with non-governmental organizations. We are sorry that Shell’s actions have not yet matched its rhetoric. We disagree that with your argument that Shell Oil has no relationship to Shell Nigeria. We also disagree with the Shell line that the company does not get involved in a country’s internal politics. Simply by doing business in Nigeria, and thereby funneling money to the brutal Abacha dictatorship, Shell is involved in Nigerian politics whether it likes it or not. Once again, we call on you as Shell’s President and CEO to see that the company adopts environmental operating standards in foreign countries that are as strong as those you are held to in the U.S. Shell currently has the esteemed privilege of being the oil company most reviled by environmentalists worldwide. No public relations spin will change your image. Such a change can only be dictated by your actions. The Sierra Club boycott of Shell will continue until we have evidence of real change. Sincerely, Carl Pope Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
