Action Briefing December 2006 - January 2007
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

Shell Eyewitnesses Visit Birmingham

Birmingham was treated to first-hand reports of the fight against a notorious environmental and human rights offender last month when activists from Ireland and South Africa visited as part of Birmingham Friends of the Earth's bi-monthly speaker series. They brought with them stories and videos of the activities of Shell Oil in Ireland, South Africa, Russia and Nigeria.

Although Shell is by no means the only culprit, it has stood out for many years as a major violator of environmental and human rights standards. Friends of the Earth (UK) publishes annual reports on Shell's activities, which last year's report described as "unconscionable disregard for human lives and the environment."
According to Terry Clancy, an active campaigner against Shell in Ireland, Shell plans to build a gas pipeline and a refinery against the opposition of local residents. The planned facility would discharge toxic waste into a conservation area, and residents in the town of Rossport have raised safety concerns about the pipeline which is intended to cross their properties. So far, residents and their supporters have successfully held Shell at bay for several years, although the struggle isn't over yet.

From the other side of the world, Desmond D'Sa, a South African community activist, reported on problems associated with the largest oil refinery in South Africa - a joint venture between Shell and British Petroleum. People living near the refinery in the city of Durban experience health problems and high levels of air pollution, and oil leaks have contaminated Durban Harbour, protected wetlands, and residential areas. Safety measures and pollution controls that are standard practice at Shell's European plants are absent in South Africa.

Videos showed further evidence of environmental destruction, health problems, and disregard for local residents around Shell facilities in Russia and Nigeria. Ironically, at the same time as Shell is endangering ecosystems around the world, the company is also sponsoring the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award here in the UK, along with an exhibit at the Natural History Museum.

Friends of the Earth has campaigned against Shell for more than ten years, and has successfully convinced Shell not to explore for oil and gas in Kirthar National Park in Pakistan and in the Sundarbuns of Bangladesh, an ecologically sensitive mangrove forest. Continuous vigilance is necessary but, with firm resolve and adequate support, community groups can succeed in holding their own even against powerful multinational corporations.

Brian Lucas