Friends of the Earth Netherlands has launched the ‘Worse than Bad’ campaign, which calls on Shell to take responsibility for the environmental damage and human rights violations it has caused in the Niger Delta over the last 50 years.
Campaigners are asking Shell to announce steps to clean up the oil pollution in the entire Niger Delta, close oil wells that illegally flare gas, improve pipeline maintenance and offer serious financial compensation to farmers and fishermen affected by oil spills.
A series of videos and an interactive website documenting the damage done by Shell in the Niger Delta was made public this week : worsethanbad.org
Friends of the Earth Netherlands is working in solidarity with those affected by the damage caused by Shell in Nigeria and together with farmers and fishermen from Nigeria have filed a lawsuit against Shell in the Netherlands demanding immediate action. Supporters can donate to the court case through the ‘Worse than Bad’ website.
Shell continues to earn record profits, whilst creating historic levels of pollution. With new oil leaks occurring on a daily basis, the devastation has already spread across an area half the size of Florida. Friends of the Earth believes that Shell must be held accountable for its actions and develop a clear plan to improve the maintenance of the outdated and faulty pipeline network in Nigeria to prevent new oil leaks from Shell pipelines in the future.