Shell has reportedly lobbied the European Union to reduce renewable energy targets on cutting carbon emissions, reveals new documents.
Under the agreement signed in October 2014, the EU countries agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
Citing documents received under the Freedom of Information Act, the Guardian newspaper said Shell started lobbying the then European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, since 2011 to scrap the EU’s move to link carbon-cutting goals with binding renewable energy laws.
Shell reportedly invests between €4.25m and €4.5m per year lobbying the EU institutions, making it the sixth largest lobbyist in Brussels.
The company said a market-driven plan of gas expansion could save a total of €500bn for Europe as it transitions to a low carbon economy.
Shell upstream executive director Malcolm Brinded wrote in a five page letter to Barroso: "Gas is good for Europe, and Europe is good at gas.
"Shell believes the EU should focus on reduction of greenhouse gases as the unique climate objective after 2020, and allow the market to identify the most cost efficient way to deliver this target, thus preserving competitiveness of industry, protecting employment and consumer buying power, to drive economic growth."
In a hand-written note at the end, Brinded wrote: "This is a great opportunity for the EU to seize!"
The ‘single target’ idea floated by Shell became a buzzword and was later on adopted by the British government as a key point during talks between the Britain’s Treasury and the Department of Energy and Climate Change in mid-2013.
The concept was later publicly floated by Britain during schedule 2030 climate talks, with other EU states lending support, which was then incorporated into the final inter-state agreement last October.
Image: Royal Dutch Shell head office, Carel van Bylandtlaan, The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: Courtesy of P.L. van Till at nl.wikipedia.