Shell Oil Gets Blasted on Twitter for Heat Wave Advice

Amid record-breaking heat in Europe and the UK that has already killed hundreds, a company Twitter account for Shell, a global oil and gas company, gave advice Monday on how to beat the heat — and got some online pushback.

“No air con? No sweat. Here are our tips for keeping cool (and saving energy) when it’s hot outside,” the Tweet says.

“Your company is one of the main reasons we’re in this situation,” one Twitter user wrote.

The tweet links to a blog about how to keep cool and use less energy in the home, such as by closing the curtains or air-drying clothes.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the company’s Tweet had over 300 quote tweets and over 200 replies — not a good ratio. Most of the account’s other recent Tweets have three or four likes and replies.

Another one of those quote-tweeters referenced a 2018 Guardian article, which discussed a 1988 Shell memo where the company predicted increased CO2 in the atmosphere would eventually lead to catastrophe for the environment, from losing animal and plant species to sea level rise.

Last May, a Dutch court ruled that Shell could be held responsible for its carbon emissions. A 2022 article reviewed promises from Shell and other oil companies to transition to clean energy through financial analysis to determine if it was actually happening. It was published online in PLoS ONE, an open-access journal.

“The financial analysis reveals a continuing business model dependence on fossil fuels along with insignificant and opaque spending on clean energy,” the authors wrote.

Shell in March reported its highest quarterly earnings since 2008 amid skyrocketing gas prices, CNBC reported.

Other energy companies, like ConEdison, have given warnings ahead of heat waves. But the tips from Shell, amid summer heat amping up, seemed to strike a chord.

“Honestly he f— audacity of this Tweet,” another person wrote.

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said last week that rationing energy to Europe amid the heat wave was possible, per the BBC. The UK faced a record-breaking temperature on Tuesday of 104.5 degrees linked to climate change, according to the Associated Press.

A representative for Shell declined to comment. Its website says it plans to become a net-zero emissions company by 2050.