APRIL 2023 VOL.

29

SHELL CONNECT
A Monthly Magazine for Shell Employees

Together for a Greener Tomorrow: Embracing

Our Collective Responsibility at Shell
By Eden Frost

When companies are faced with an
economic crisis, they often go to extreme
lengths to cut costs by shutting down
business units, undertaking massive layoffs
and hiring freezes or even delaying
promotions and cutting employee salaries.
If external conditions threaten the survival
of the business, most companies do what
ever it takes to stay afloat. Given this
reality, and in light of the recent lawsuit
filed against Shell’s board of directors,
claiming that Shell's current climate
strategy is insufficient to protect the
company's future from the threat of climate
change, it is evident that the time for
extreme climate action is now.
The climate crisis is upon us, and as Shell
employees, we have the power and the
responsibility to reset the trajectory of our
planet’s future. We must come together to
achieve net-negative emissions and
embrace environmental sustainability.
The Net-Negative Imperative
First, it is essential to understand why the
pursuit of net-negative emissions and
environmental sustainability is so critical.
The Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG)
has reached a consensus that 2050 is too
late for energy companies, like Shell, to
reach net-zero emissions.
 APRIL 2023 VOL. 29

By that time the planet will have surpassed
the 1.5-degree warming threshold, which
experts say is the point of no return for our
planet's future. The scientists argue that a
shift in emphasis towards net-negative
emissions using methods like carbon capture
and storage is the “only viable option” for
the future of our planet.
It is therefore upon us, as employees of a
leading energy company, to be part of the
solution. Achieving net-negative emissions
PHOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH
not only helps mitigate these environmental
risks but also enables us to maintain our
competitive edge in a rapidly evolving energy
landscape.
The Power of Collective Action
There are numerous ways we, as employees,
can contribute to this vital objective. For
starters, adopting sustainable practices in
our daily work routines can have a
significant impact. Simple actions like
turning off lights, computers, and other
electronic devices when not in use can
significantly reduce our energy consumption
and contribute to a greener workplace. We
can also advocate for and support the
implementation of energy-efficient measures
in our workplace, and encourage our
colleagues to do the same. Moreover, we
should strive to minimize waste in our

A Call to Accelerate Climate Action operations, be it by reducing paper use,

recycling, or repurposing materials. We must
To make this vision a reality, we must take
also be proactive in identifying and
drastic action to reduce our carbon footprint
addressing sources of pollution in our work
across all facets of our operations. This
processes, such as leakages or emissions
process starts by setting new, more ambitious
from equipment.
targets for emissions reduction and working
tirelessly to achieve them. At the corporate
level, our current commitment to reaching
net-zero emissions by 2050, is no longer
good enough. In order to avoid the most
devastating effects of climate change, we
need to accelerate our transition timeline
significantly by setting our new target for
net-negative emissions to the year 2040.
This new target will only be attainable if
every one of us, from executives to entry-
level employees, is committed to taking
action.
 APRIL 2023 VOL. 29

By embracing a culture of continuous the latest environmental and sustainability

improvement and environmental trends and technologies. We should attend
stewardship, we can significantly reduce the seminars, conferences, or webinars, and
environmental impact of our operations. share our newfound knowledge with our
colleagues. By staying up-to-date with best
In addition, we must support and engage in
practices, we can identify opportunities to
the development and deployment of
improve our operations and reduce our
innovative technologies that contribute to
impact on the environment. Finally, solving
net-negative emissions, such as carbon
complex environmental and sustainability
capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS)
issues often requires interdisciplinary
solutions. These technologies are critical to
collaboration. We should reach out to
success
P H O T Oon
B Y our
MARTpath
I N R . towards
SMITH a more
colleagues from other departments to share
sustainable future, and our collective
ideas and learn from their expertise. This
expertise can help advance their
cross-functional collaboration can lead to
implementation.
innovative solutions and stronger
Get Involved partnerships.

Achieving environmental sustainability goes

The Way Forward
beyond just emissions reduction. We must
The journey towards achieving net-negative
also strive to protect and restore ecosystems
emissions and environmental sustainability
and biodiversity, which are crucial for
is one that we must embark upon together.
maintaining the health of our planet. Shell
As employees of Shell, we have a unique
continuously launches initiatives aimed at
opportunity and responsibility to shape the
promoting sustainability and environmental
future of our planet for the better. Our
protection. We need more people to get
collective efforts can create a legacy that
involved in these programs, whether it's
future generations will look back on with
participating in a tree-planting event, joining
pride, knowing that we were part of the
a carpooling scheme, or contributing to a
solution to the greatest challenge of our
recycling project. Increasing our collective
time. Let us seize this opportunity and work
participation in these initiatives will not
together towards creating a better, more
only support our environmental goals but
sustainable future for Shell and the planet.
will also help our workforce to develop new
skills and foster teamwork. In addition, it is
our responsibility as Shell employees to stay
informed about