Two of the UK’s largest companies face shareholder revolts over their ‘inadequate’ climate change targets
Two of the UK’s largest companies are facing shareholder revolts over their ‘inadequate’ targets on climate change.
Shell and Glencore are bracing for grueling annual meetings next week as they struggle to balance the pressure to generate profits alongside calls to step up their efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
Shell has come under fire for a profit bonanza following rising oil and gas prices since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Glencore, meanwhile, has been criticized for its extensive coal trading and its energy trading arm.
At Shell’s AGM on Tuesday, the Church of England Pensions Board announced it would vote against re-election of Shell Chairman Andrew Mackenzie and CEO Wael Sawan in protest at the company’s climate policy.
Revolt: Shell and Glencore brace for grueling annual meetings as they struggle to balance profit-generating pressures alongside calls to tackle the climate crisis more forcefully
And a small but influential group of investors will support a resolution tabled by action group Follow This calling for tougher emissions reduction targets for 2030. A Dutch court last May told Shell it had to adjust its climate targets, a ruling the energy giant is appealing. gone.
If Shell loses its appeal, it may have to cut profitable parts of its business.
Fund manager Federated Hermes, which advises clients with around £800bn in assets, has recommended that its members support the Follow This resolution at Shell’s annual general meeting.
Glencore, the Swiss-based miner and commodities trader, is also under fire for its energy strategy.
Trustee advisor Pirc has recommended investors oppose Glencore’s climate progress report and support a shareholder resolution calling for greater disclosure of climate reporting – including admitting how the company will meet coal production targets.
Ahead of next Friday’s meeting, the group has called on investors to oppose the company’s chairman and annual report for failing to address climate risks by setting adequate targets.
Paul Hunter, head of policy at Pirc, said: ‘Time is running out to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and to mitigate the climate-related risks investors face.
“This means that those companies in high-emitting sectors, including mining, urgently need to set adequate short-term targets as part of climate-credible action plans.”
BP was able to fend off its own shareholder revolt last month, with fewer than one in five shareholders voting against the company’s watered-down plans to scale back oil and gas production.
The world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent from 2019 levels by 2030 to have any hope of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the level that scientists say could prevent the most serious impacts and is laid down in the Paris Climate Agreement.