Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has announced that it would no longer be part of the 19-member U.S. lobbying group of oil companies because of ‘material misalignment’ over climate change policy. Unlike the other members of the group which includes ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and Total, Shell has expressed its support for the 2015 Paris Agreement which aims to keep global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue further reductions to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
According to Shell’s Chief Executive Officer, ‘[t]he need for urgent action in response to climate change has become ever more obvious … As a result, society’s expectations in this area have changed, and Shell’s views have also evolved…We must be prepared to openly voice our concerns where we find misalignment with an industry association on climate-related policy. In cases of material misalignment, we should also be prepared to walk away’.
Resignation of government MPs with dual citizenship
Last Tuesday, the Government announced that four of its Members of Parliament (MPs) who are also Ministers of the Government, have resigned from the National Assembly and would not be attending the next sitting of the Legislature rescheduled for later in the month. These are Messrs. Greenidge, Roopnaraine, Gaskin and Harmon. Their ministerial portfolios will be assigned to other Cabinet members. However, they will remain in Government service and assigned other responsibilities.