Can Shell become a biodiversity-positive company?

Forbes

11 August 2011

Can Shell become a biodiversity-positive company?

By almost any standard Shell is a huge company. With revenues of over $375 billion, it’s ranked number 2 in the Fortune Global 500. On an earnings basis, its 2010 profits of $20 billion – up 60% from the previous year – puts it as number 5 in earnings worldwide. Shell operates in more than 90 countries and territories and has over 90,000 employees. It is indeed a huge multinational, but could Shell also become a global leader in biodiversity responsibility?

The answer may lie in how Shell moves forward in the Niger Delta. Shell Nigeria (aka SPDC), which notably is 55% owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, has been a leading force in the development of the country’s oil and gas industry and indeed in the development of the country.