--- title: "Fossil Fuel Consultant Quits In Disgust, Tired of Destroying Environment" description: "An ex-oil consultant had harsh words for her former employer after leaving the company over its plans to expand fossil fuel extraction." date: "2022-05-23" modified: "2022-05-23" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fossil-fuel-consultant-quits" categories: - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "Fossil Fuels" - "shell" - "the digest" --- # Fossil Fuel Consultant Quits In Disgust, Tired of Destroying Environment ![An ex-oil consultant had harsh words for her former employer after leaving the company over its plans to expand fossil fuel extraction.]() *Fiddlers Ferry powerstation in Warrington,UK \Image: Getty Images \* ## Ouch A just-departed consultant for the fossil fuel industry has harsh words for her former employer. As [*Politico* reports](), former Shell safety consultant Caroline Dennett sent a strongly-worded missive to the company's executive committee — and more than 1,000 of her ex-coworkers. In the email, obtained by *Politico*, Dennett accused Shell of "failing" on a "planetary scale" to live up to its [purported "no harm" sustainability pledge](). "Shell is operating beyond the design limits of our planetary systems," the UK-based ex-consultant wrote. "Shell is not implementing steps to mitigate the known risks. Shell is not putting environmental safety before production." ## Toothless Claims The report notes that in spite of Shell's lip service to a [supposed "net-zero" emissions strategy](), the company is still moving forward with plans to explore new gas fields until 2025, even if it takes [lobbying efforts to allow]() more fossil fuel extraction. "I can no longer work for a company that ignores all the alarms and dismisses the risks of climate change and ecological collapse," Dennett wrote in the email, which also urges her former coworkers "to look in the mirror and ask themselves if they really believe their vision for more oil and gas extraction secures a safe future for humanity" and to "please walk away and towards a more sustainable career." When *Politico* reached out to Shell for comment, a company spokesperson said that the oil giant is "determined to deliver on our global strategy to be a net-zero company by 2050" — the same year the [International Energy Agency cites as when the world can reach net-zero carbon]() emissions only if companies stop new construction of oil and gas fields *right now*. Here's hoping we make it that far. **READ MORE:** [Shell consultant quits, says company causes ‘extreme harm’ to planet]() \[*Politico*\] **More on oil:** *[Wealthy Horrified That Drought Could Affect Their Luxurious Pools and Koi Ponds]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()