Shell was given a stark reminder of its role in events like the LA wildfires

Fossil Free London staged a protest outside Shell’s global HQ, the Shell Centre, on Southbank on Wednesday 15 January, in protest over the role fossil fuel corporations like Shell’s have in exacerbating the climate crisis.

Shell: fuelling the climate crisis – and the LA wildfires

Dressed in red and orange, signs read “It’s not a tragedy, it’s a crime”, chanting “Shell did this”:

A London firefighter joined the crowd, holding a placard saying “Big oil makes our job harder”:

Shell continues to drill for new fossil fuels, making fires like the ones we are seeing in LA much more likely. In March 2024, Shell defied climate experts and rolled back their green targets, pledging to keep oil production steady until 2030.

Wildfires across Los Angeles have now killed at least 24 people, and burned down more than 12,000 homes and businesses. Scientists warn these fires are driven in intensity by heat and drought; both conditions are directly linked to and made increasingly common by the climate crisis.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that emissions from fossil fuels are the biggest cause of climate change. Fossil fuel corporations have been aware of climate change and its effects as early as 1977, but continued to expand oil and gas production.

It’s their responsibility

Joanna Warrington, who attended the protest with Fossil Free London, said:

LA is on fire, and it’s big oil that sparked the match and fanned the flames. Corporations like Shell have known for decades the disasters their fossil fuels would cause, but spent billions delaying climate action and funding misinformation to protect their business interests. As devastating events like these become more commonplace, its vital blame is put on the oily bosses who profit whilst our homes burn.

Andy Warren, a London firefighter, said:

Firefighters know that the increasingly frequent and destructive wildfires we face are the responsibility of the fossil fuel industry and its disregard for human life. These companies have known about the effects of their profiteering for decades and it is high time they were taken into public ownership and their profits used to fund a just green transition. No fire service in the world will be a match for the disasters that come if we carry on as we are.

Featured image and additional images via Fossil Free London