Failing the challenge

The report "Failing the challenge" by Friends of the Earth International is a critical response to Shell's 2003 corporate report. It argues that despite public commitments to sustainable development and human rights, Shell continues to cause significant environmental damage and health crises in communities surrounding its global operations, particularly in the Global South.

• Shell is accused of prioritizing short-term profits over environmental and social responsibilities, continuing to expand oil and gas exploration despite its public image as a company that takes climate change seriously.
• In Durban, South Africa, the SAPREF refinery (jointly owned by Shell and BP) is linked to severe health issues, including respiratory illnesses in children that are four times higher than elsewhere and leukaemia rates 24 times the national average.
• The SAPREF facility in Durban has a history of significant accidents and reporting failures, including a 2000 admission that sulphur dioxide emissions were under-reported by as much as 25 per cent over five years.
• In Port Arthur, Texas, residents of 'gasoline alley' report high rates of infant mortality, cancer, and respiratory problems. A health survey found 80 per cent of people in refinery neighbourhoods had heart and respiratory problems, compared to 30 per cent in non-refinery areas.
• Shell's operations in Norco, Louisiana, have created an area known as 'Cancer Alley,' where residents of the predominantly black Diamond district suffer from chronic health problems and have experienced lethal explosions.
• In Nigeria's Niger Delta, Shell is criticized for extensive environmental devastation, including 2,976 oil spills between 1976 and 1991, and for its alleged links to the Nigerian dictatorship during the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa.
• Shell's involvement in China, specifically the Tarim Basin Gas Fields and a proposed 2,600-mile pipeline, is criticized for ignoring the rights of the Uighur population and potentially displacing up to 2,000 households.
• In Pandacan, Manila, Shell and other companies are accused of stalling the relocation of oil and gas depots despite a 1993 agreement with the Philippines Government to move them by 2003.
• In Magdalena, Argentina, Shell is accused of using 'legal tricks' to avoid full responsibility for a 1999 oil spill on the Rio de la Plata that devastated a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
• The report characterizes Shell's sustainability efforts as 'greenwash,' noting that the company spends millions on advertising while its greenhouse gas emissions rose by 2 per cent in 2001 to 103 million tonnes of CO2.

APA

Rimmer, L. (2003). Failing the challenge. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/shell_failing_the_challenge.pdf

Chicago

Rimmer, Lisa. Failing the challenge. Friends of the Earth International, 2003. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/shell_failing_the_challenge.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rimmer |first1=Lisa |title=Failing the challenge |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=April 2003 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/shell_failing_the_challenge.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rimmer2003failing, author = {Rimmer, Lisa}, title = {{Failing the challenge}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2003}, month = apr, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/shell_failing_the_challenge.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }