"Will Shell-funded Energy Transitions Commission help or hinder the low carbon economy?", 25 Sep 2015

Oil giant Shell is backing a new organisation that is being set up to lobby governments to step up their investments in low carbon technologies, with the twin aims of boosting economic growth and tackling climate change.  But the new Energy Transitions Commission, which is due to launch on Monday with €5m to €7m of funding, has already come under fire from some green groups who fear Shell may be using the initiative to further its own aims, particularly its controversial Arctic drilling programme...Other commission members include BHP Billiton chief commercial officer Dean Dalla Valle, RWE chief executive Peter Terium, and Bjørn Otto Sverdrup, vice president of sustainability for Statoil...[G]reen groups, including Carbon Tracker and Greenpeace, have criticised the new Commission, arguing it will be used as a vehicle for fossil fuel companies to boost oil extraction...However, a spokeswoman for the new Commission defended Shell's backing of the group, arguing oil companies engaging in the debate on climate change faced a "no-win situation". "If they do get involved, they are criticised for trying to steer the conversation in their direction, if they don't get involved they get criticised for having no interest," she said.