3rd November 2026
Since 1954 the oil giants have known that burning fossil fuels causes climate change; that burning fossil fuels causes air pollution; that methane gas – what the industry calls ‘clean’ or ‘natural’ gas – is an even bigger contributor to rising global temperatures. They have known that oil and gas leaking from pipelines pollutes the soil, water supplies and the air. They have known – and seen – how oil spills kill wildlife, seabirds and marine life, how these spills cause ecological devastation. (1)
Yet for all this, oil giants have continued to expand production and make ever larger profits. They have continued to promote their products to new markets – especially in developing countries where renewable energy would be cheaper and easier to sustain. They have used advertising to present their products as natural, as necessary for economic growth, as good for households and industry, and – unbelievably – as good for security. They have employed lobbyists and sponsorship deals to ensure governments and other big institutions stay on their side. (2)
It is clear that the oil industry has caused £ billions of damage to people’s lives, to the environment and to the climate. Yet are they obliged to make good the damage they have caused? To compensate those who have suffered loss? To pay fines for their continuing intransigence?
Oil companies do not willing pay for the damage they cause but serious attempts are being made to ensure that they do! Here are three examples.
Campaigning – Make Polluters Pay
The Make Polluters Pay coalition in the UK is campaigning to highlight the impact of climate change on people here and across the globe: –
- £3000 per year from higher food costs and insurance bills – and for other nations it is much more.
- 2877 excess deaths during the heatwaves in May and June 2026 – and again far worse in other countries
- £4.4 billion lost to the economy due to lost output and reduced working hours – and that doesn’t include the losses suffered by farmers as this year’s harvest is yet again down.
- $120 billion losses from the ten costliest global disasters in 2025 alone
- 250 million people displaced by climate disasters over the last decade.
And all the while oil giants were making $2.8 billion that oil giants have been making every day for the last 50 years!
Make Polluters Pay is demanding that the UK government impose windfall tax these oil companies so that they do not profit from rising oil prices solely driven by the war in the Middle East. They advocate that this money should be used to:-
1. Keep schools, hospitals and care homes safe during extreme heat.
2. Give firefighters and emergency services the resources they need to respond to floods and wildfires.
3. Protect homes, transport and other vital infrastructure from climate impacts.
4. Accelerate the transition to clean, affordable British energy.
5. Support communities around the world recovering from climate loss and damage and adapting to a changing climate. (3)
Court Action – The Odette Case
In December 2021, Super Typhoon Odette tore through the Philippines and upended the lives of more than 8 million people. Typhoon Odette remains the third strongest storm ever recorded
in the Northern Hemisphere. New research shows that the likelihood of storms like Typhoon Odette has doubled in the Philippines due to human-induced climate change. In a landmark 2022 report, the Philippine Commission on Human Rights found that companies like Shell are partly to blame. (4)
On the basis of this a group of Filipinos, victims of the Typhoon are using the law to hold Shell accountable for its contribution to Super Typhoon Odette. They filed their claim, first stage of these proceedings, at the High Court of Justice on 9 December 2025.
“Backed by UK law firm Hausfeld, this case will be filed in the UK, where Shell is based, but will follow Philippine law since the harm occurred there. This case puts the power in the hands of the communities demanding justice for the harm caused by Shell’s dangerous activity.
“The claimants are seeking financial compensation for the damage they suffered, in line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle. The claim alleges that Shell’s actions contributed to anthropogenic climate change, making Typhoon Odette significantly more likely and more severe.” (5)
UN Loss and Damage Fund – Nepal
The collapse of the glacier in the Himalayas this Autumn and the tsunami floods that then flashed through valleys below caused catastrophic damage in Nepal and Tibet. The rapid melting of the glaciers resulting from accelerating climate change was clearly a significant contributory factor.
The damage which decimated communities, demolished essential infrastructure, killing and injuring thousands of local people and tourists, was colossal and as further land slips and floods occur, is increasing. The Nepali government estimates the cost of physical damage nd economic losses as $2.7bn. The Nepali government has now requested $20 million – a mere 0.7% of the total – from the UN fund for loss and damage.
The UN Loss and Damage Fund was finally established at COP27 in 2022. 2022. The fund is intended to be a multilateral fund that will support communities when adaptation strategies are inadequate or implemented too late, and damage and risk has already happened. It is intended to support poorer countries, funded by financial contributions from the richer nations according to the Paris Agreement mechanism. (6)
The claim by the Nepali government is the largest ever made against this fund. It joins the 176 claimants who have already requested compensation for numerous climate-induced damages, totally $2.8bn. Sadly the current fund stands at a mere $0.8bn as richer nations have failed to pledge sums previously agreed. (7)
Where does the UK stand vis a vis the Loss and Damage Fund? The following comment was made by the Save the Children Fund in November 2023:-
“While the UK’s £60 million pledge towards loss and damage is an important contribution to a vital fund, it is not new or additional finance, but a repackaging of existing commitments. And it rings hollow in the face of a string of broken climate pledges. We’ve already seen £1.6bn stripped from the existing £11.6bn climate finance commitment by redefining what goes into it – effectively creative accounting. The government is giving with one hand while taking with the other. Today’s pledge does not reflect what countries on the front line of the climate crisis are calling for or need. The UK must not recycle finance and disguise it as progress, but provide the additional funds required to confront the climate crisis with the urgency it needs.” (8)
(1) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/12/big-oil-fossil-fuel-warning?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
(3) https://www.makepolluterspay.co.uk/ There is also a link so that you can email your MP. Greenpeace and Oxfam have an online petitions:-
(4) https://www.odettecase.org/ There is an online petition too
(5) https://www.odettecase.org/about
(6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_and_Damage_Fund
(7) https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-nepals-20m-loss-and-damage-claim-only-covers-0-7-of-flood-costs
(NB a shorter version appears on the Green Christian website)
