In just one day, on 26 May 2021 there were three major developments affecting big multinational oil companies –

Royal Dutch Shell was ordered by a Dutch court to cut its absolute carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, in a legal challenge brought by Milieudefensie, Friends of the Earth Netherlands and 17,000 Dutch citizens. The company may well appeal but the judgement will be noted in many boardrooms.

ExxonMobil had at least two directors added to its board by challenger hedge fund Engine No. 1, with the support of other shareholders. The hedge fund argued that Exxon had not invested enough in clean energy, which would hurt future profits and lose out to European competitors.

Chevron shareholders voted for the company to reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions resulting from the use of Chevron's products by its customers.

Meanwhile, reservations for the 2022 Ford Motor Company F-150 electric Lightning pick-up truck reached 70,000.

At a COP26 and beyond event on 'Climate Change and Your Career' at the Earth Action Hub on 20 May 2021, some of the speakers discussed the concept of a ‘just transition” for workers in fossil fuel industries –

https://www.cop26andbeyond.com/blog/climate-change-and-your-career

Expert speakers discussed the numbers of jobs that may be created, or lost, on current projections, the steps being taken in some industries like Canada’s Athabasca tar sands for oilfield workers to manage their own re-training, the impacts of the energy transition on workers and families dependent on the coal industry in Kw-Zulu Natal. The decisions taken on 26 May 2021 are just three more pointers to the relevance of those considerations.