Shell’s pollution responsible for nearly quarter of global heatwaves

PM urged to make fossil fuel giants pay compensation for extreme weather

Climate Crisis / 22 September 2026 Most Church of England cathedrals still use fossil fuel banks, study finds 22 September 2026 Scotland / 22 September 2026 Holyrood backs Scotland’s ‘right to decide’ 22 September 2026 Solidarity / 22 September 2026 Stop the War Scotland back rail unions' stand on Palestine 22 September 2026 Europe / 22 September 2026 Burnham warned against rejoining EU 22 September 2026 Politics / 22 September 2026 Welsh government sets out key priorities for Senedd term 22 September 2026 Workers' Rights / 22 September 2026 Breadlam as Hovis drivers begin indefinite strike over pay 22 September 2026 ANDY BURNHAM faced fresh calls today to make oil giants pay communities compensation for extreme weather as new research suggests Shell’s pollution is responsible for nearly a quarter of global heatwaves.

Analysis by campaigners suing the oil and gas giant at the High Court said that the firm’s pollution has made 24 per cent of the 213 global heatwaves reported between 2000 and 2023 at least 10,000 times more likely.

The Odette case campaign’s findings sparked calls by Green Party leader Zack Polanski, unions and fuel poverty campaigners for the Prime Minister to take a hard line on “climate vandalism” ahead of its annual conference in Liverpool.

This summer’s extreme heat caused thousands of deaths in Britain and an estimated more than £4 billion damage to the economy.

Shell, meanwhile, reported profits of over £12bn in the first six months of this year, a 70 per cent year-on-year increase, as the US-Israel war on Iran sent global oil prices soaring.

More than 100 Filipinos have taken Shell to court for its contribution to the devastating Typhoon Odette which destroyed their lives in 2021.

Their landmark case could lead to fossil fuel giants being forced to pay compensation for their role over many decades in contributing to climate change.

Madeleine Lynch, a campaigner with the Odette case, said: “Most people are now wise to the central role that oil companies play in driving climate change.

“Whether it’s the thousands of heat-related deaths this summer, and the wildfires and severe drought affecting the UK, or the devastating storms and flooding overseas, oil giants like Shell are heaping the costs of these disasters onto ordinary people, while ignoring the harm they’re inflicting on us.

“Meanwhile, they’re still pushing for more drilling, like the Rosebank oil field, in pursuit of bigger profits.

“The era of these corporate giants avoiding responsibility for the harm they cause could come to an end. And as we’ve seen in the UK this summer, with its record heat, it could help pay for the disruption and damage to lives, homes, farming, infrastructure and wildlife.”

The campaigners’ findings are based on a study by Swiss scientists published in Nature which found that climate change enabled 55 previously impossible heatwaves to occur and that each of the 180 largest fossil fuel and cement producers emitted enough to enable most of them.

Every global heatwave reported between 2000 and 2023 were also made more likely and more intense by human-induced climate change emissions, the paper added.

Mr Polanski said: “Shell has spent decades making billions from fossil fuels while ordinary people around the world pay the price.

“Greens have long said the biggest polluters should pay for the damage they cause, so I’m really pleased to see the Odette case taking that fight directly to Shell.”

Mr Polanski, who is contesting former PM Sir Keir Starmer’s former seat, added: “We need that money to help communities deal with the climate change that is already here.

“That principle matters enormously in Holborn and St Pancras, where many neighbourhoods are already at serious risk from extreme heat.

“Labour knows people here want real action on the climate crisis, not more fossil-fuel extraction.

“That’s why the decision on allowing more North Sea drilling is reportedly being delayed until after the by-election.

“I think voters here will see through that cynical tactic. They deserve a clear answer on what politicians will do to prevent further climate breakdown and make sure our homes and public spaces are ready for the changes we’re already living through.”

End Fuel Poverty Coalition co-ordinator Simon Francis said that the Odette case could have implications for Britain’s energy system, as finding against Shell could make a “case for making those same companies take responsibility for the damage done closer to home,” he said.

“That could include the health consequences of climate change. But, given the profits Shell has posted throughout the energy bills crisis, it could also mean helping to clear the debt households have built up while paying soaring prices.”

A Momentum spokesperson said: “Fossil-fuel giants have raked in exorbitant profits as we hurtle towards a climate catastrophe. They must be held accountable.”

UCU general secretary Jo Grady, who moved a hotly debated TUC Congress motion opposing Labour’s plans to hike military spending this year, said: “Workers must not be forced to foot the bill when it is fossil-fuel companies who are responsible. The companies who profited from environmental vandalism should be the ones who pay to clean up the mess they’ve created.”

Unison policy officer Michelle Singleton said: “Burning fossil fuels is the biggest driver of climate change, which is causing death and destruction in the UK and around the world.

“The ITUC’s right to call for multibillion-dollar companies to be held accountable for the healthcare and environmental costs their pollution causes.”