Shell ripped for sponsoring climate-change conference

Shell was the only listed corporate sponsor of the 18th Annual Chatham House Conference on Climate Change in London. And some people thought that sponsorship a little out of step with the goals of such a conference, including reducing reliance on fossil fuels and addressing climate change.

One person who spoke out against Shell was the event’s keynote speaker Monday: climate-change activist Bill McKibben, founder of the group 350.org.

According to various published reports (read Salon.com’s take here, and RTCC’s take here), McKibben said in his speech:

“I didn’t know Shell was sponsoring this conference when I agreed to do it, but I’m glad for the chance to say in public that Shell is among the most irresponsible companies on earth. When they write the history of our time, the fact that Shell executives watched the Arctic melt and then led the rush to go drill for oil in that thawing north will provide the iconic example of the shortsighted greed that marks the richest people on our planet.”