Follow This | Shareholders change the world

With a screening of clips from the new post-apocalyptic musical The End, the science communications platform Arctic Basecamp brought a powerful message to the World Economic Forum in Davos. The movie confronts the climate crisis head-on. The film features Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Michael Shannon and Moses Ingram. The End is a wake-up call about the consequences of self-deception, especially when it comes to climate action. Michael Shannon plays a retired oil CEO. In a key scene, he says: ‘The other companies were worse. At least I cared.’ The family’s reckoning with difficult truths also points to a different way forward, one based on acceptance, love, and a capacity for change. During a Q&A session in Davos, Michael Shannon and director Joshua Oppenheimer engaged in discussions with CEOs and climate activists, emphasizing the urgent need for change. They stressed the need of business leaders to embrace climate action and do more to protect our planet than we admit we can. They mentioned Follow This, as an organization changing Big Oil from within. Founder Mark van Baal: ‘we hope the CEOs of Big Oil watch the apocalyptic movie The End and realize they are the primary actors. They should take bold and brave decisions today to prevent the disastrous future it portrays. Just as Reagan allegedly started talking with Gorbachev after watching The Day After – a movie about the devastating effects of a nuclear war and the human cost of such a conflict.’ Read more: https://lnkd.in/ej8-uy6A

Follow This: ‘Het bestuur brengt de toekomst van Shell in gevaar door de energietransitie te negeren’ Shell’s hernieuwbare energie divisie maakt verlies en Shell lijkt zich terug te trekken uit investeringen in duurzame energie, wat kritiek oplevert van groene aandeelhouders. Mark van Baal, oprichter van activistische groene aandeelhouder Follow This: ?Het bestuur brengt de toekomst van Shell in gevaar door de energietransitie te negeren (…) De International Energy Agency voorspelt een afname van de vraag naar olie en gas na 2029. Zelfs aandeelhouders die niets geven om klimaatrisico’s en alleen om de waarde van hun aandelen zouden zich zorgen moeten maken over Shells hardnekkige negeren van ontwikkelingen in de energiemarkt, zoals de exponenti?le groei van hernieuwbare energie en elektrische voertuigen.” Lees meer: https://lnkd.in/e_Qzf5Ct Steun Follow This: https://lnkd.in/e4YxnZgQ #followthis #Shell #energietransitie #klimaatverandering

We are looking for a friendly personality to support our team in achieving our ambitious goals. As dedicated fundraiser, you play an important role in the further development of our organization and people. More information: https://lnkd.in/ee4zrXD8

Ook De Telegraaf kwam langs voor een eindejaarinterview. De koppenmaker had slechts vier woorden nodig voor de essentie van het interview van Theo Besteman: “Oliewinning raakt ons pensioen”. Het beperken van de financi?le gevolgen van klimaatverandering zijn inderdaad dé reden voor grote pensioenfondsen en beleggers om Follow This te steunen. De Telegraaf schrijft: Amsterdam -?Oliemaatschappijen keren zich hard tegen groene aandeelhouders. Banken en pensioenfondsen met olieaandelen kruipen bij een nieuwe politieke wind in hun schulp, merkt oprichter Mark van Baal van aandeelhouderscollectief Follow This, actief bij de grote oliebedrijven. ?Totaal onverantwoord, de veroorzaakte klimaatschade wordt een miljardenrisico voor onze pensioenen.” Het Amerikaanse ExxonMobil klaagde aandeelhouder Follow This begin 2024 bij de rechter in Texas aan. Anders dan Shell, BP, Chevron, TotalEnergies, Chevron, Equinor en ConocoPhilips zegt Exxon dat de Nederlanders zijn bedrijfsvoering hinderen en aandeelhouders schade berokkenen. Follow This wil dat oliebedrijven hun doelen aanscherpen en behalve de eigen CO2-uitstoot ook die van hun klanten zoals automobilisten terugbrengen, de scope 3, om zo het klimaatakkoord van Parijs te halen […]. ?Als je niet naar de gevolgen van klimaatverandering kijkt, negeer je de schade van de opwarming die overal duidelijk zichtbaar is […] Negeer je die klimaatschade, dan breng je concreet hun pensioengeld in gevaar.” Lees het volledige interview via https://lnkd.in/eS4QR5mG Het is duidelijk. The empire strikes back. Deze strijd kan Follow This niet alleen voeren. We hebben jouw hulp nodig. Like of reageer daarom op deze post, zodat meer mensen dit verhaal zien. Hoe meer mensen we bereiken, hoe meer mensen groene aandeelhouders worden, hoe sterker we staan! Vanaf 30 euro word je groene aandeelhouder in Big Oil. Samen hebben we impact. Word nu groene aandeelhouder via: webshop.follow-this.org. Dank je wel voor je support, namens Follow This, Mark Foto’s: Michel van Bergen

Shell invests only 12% in renewables despite the imminence of peak oil IEA predicts oil and gas demand will decline after 2029, but Shell heavily invests in fossil fuels, risking stranded assets PRESS RELEASE Shell’s investment in its Renewables and Energy Solutions (RES) division were $2.5 billion in 2024 (12%), as published in the company’s annual results released today. Nearly all investments remain tied to fossil fuels that risk becoming stranded assets. “The board is endangering Shell’s future by ignoring the energy transition and continuing investing in potential stranded assets,” responds Mark van Baal, founder of shareholder group Follow This. The?International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts?a decline in oil and gas demand after 2029. Stubborn disregard of market forces “Even shareholders who don’t care about climate risk and only care about the value of their shares in Shell, should be worried about Shell’s stubborn disregard of market forces such as the exponential growth of renewable energy and electric vehicles.” “Shell risks a dramatic decline in share value as the market adjusts to the realities of disruptive innovation, stranded assets and climate liabilities. Because sooner or later oil companies will be held liable for the costs for climate damage.” Investors hold the key “Investors must change the mind of the board. Shell could lead and thrive in the energy transition if the company would use the current profits to explore new business models instead of more oil and gas." Read the entire press release here: https://lnkd.in/efg9grUV

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INVESTOR WEBINAR INVITATION (reminder) Turning insights into action: The crucial role of investors in tackling the climate crisis Date: Thursday, January 30? Duration: 60-minute web session? Time: 16:00 (NL) | 15:00 (UK) | 10:00 (ET US) We’re kicking off the new year with an insightful webinar, and we'd love for you to attend. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can still register using the link below. The webinar will focus on the evolving role of investors in addressing the climate crisis. The session will reflect on the key developments of the past year and lay the groundwork for future research and collaborations, including: * The impact of changes on the shareholder rights landscape, drawing on insights from our experience being litigated against by an oil major. * Trends in investor voting behavior on climate resolutions in 2023 and 2024. * Insights from the latest IEA and Big Oil demand forecasts and their implications. Additionally, we are excited to announce the launch of our investor roundtables, offering an opportunity to collaborate on strategies to enhance the role of shareholders in combating climate change. Register for free: https://lnkd.in/eKK8fvQv

Follow This in FD: “aandeelhouders zijn de laatste hoop in de strijd tegen klimaatverandering.” Begin 2024 wordt Follow This voor de rechter gesleept door ExxonMobil. De oliegigant wil een juridisch precedent scheppen om te voorkomen dat aandeelhouders nog resoluties over klimaatbeleid kunnen indienen. Oprichter Mark van Baal blikt in het Financieele Dagblad terug op een bewogen jaar. ‘The empire strikes back. Maar dat betekent ook dat we op de goede weg zijn.’ ‘Wij hebben het enige effectieve gereedschap in handen dat bedrijven kan dwingen klimaatverandering serieus te nemen. De consument kan niets, de politiek doet niets en de rechter aarzelt, kijk naar het vonnis in hoger beroep van Shell versus Milieudefensie.’ Volgens Van Baal blijft er dan één optie over: ‘Bedrijven trekken zich alleen van hun aandeelhouders wat aan.’ ‘Na de mislukking van de klimaattop in Bakoe, de herverkiezing van Donald Trump en het verlies van Milieudefensie in de Shell-zaak, zijn aandeelhouders de laatste hoop.’ Lees het hele verhaal: https://lnkd.in/eY5JEBas #klimaatverandering #BigOil #ExxonMobil

Follow This: green shareholders are the last hope in the climate crisis. Support our movement of green shareholders demanding climate action from Big Oil. Follow This is building a powerful collective voice to drive the transition to clean energy. Your donation helps us build a more sustainable future for all. Donate today and make a difference. DONATE NOW: https://lnkd.in/ejeW-i8N Our approach is working As green shareholders, we got five major oil and gas companies to pledge to reduce their carbon emissions. We can honestly say we are the most impactful shareholders in Big Oil. The empire strikes back 2024 was a tough year for anyone concerned about the climate crisis: Trump was re-elected, Shell won the appeal in Milieudefensie's climate case, COP29 in Baku failed and even in the Netherlands we now have a government that does not take the climate crisis seriously.? For Follow This, it was also a tough year. ExxonMobil dragged us to court in Texas to prevent shareholders from using their voting rights for change. Thanks to donations, we were able to pay our lawyers. The lawsuit is now thankfully over. Being sued by an oil major is intimidating, but at the same time it is proof that our approach works. Time is running out to prevent disastrous climate change. With governments failing, green shareholders are the last hope in the fight against climate change.? Now is the time for Follow This to grow. Help us keep up the pressure because Big Oil can make or break the Paris climate agreement. Thank you very much in advance for your donation!? On behalf of the Follow This team, I wish you happy holidays and an impactful 2025. Mark van Baal, Founder of Follow This DONATE NOW: https://lnkd.in/ejeW-i8N

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