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Investor pressure stalls as climate group halts shareholder resolutions against oil giants

A leading climate activist group in the Netherlands is suspending its shareholder push against oil companies after waning investor support and rising political pressure in the U.S.

Jillian Ambrose reports for The Guardian.

In short:

Dutch activist group Follow This will not file climate resolutions at oil company AGMs this year for the first time since 2016, citing political and legal backlash.
U.S. states have sued major investors over climate initiatives, and federal regulators recently dropped proposed rules on climate-related financial disclosures.
Despite earlier success — such as a 60% shareholder vote backing emissions cuts at Chevron in 2021 — recent investor support for such efforts has plateaued at around 20%.

Key quote:

“Big oil can make or break the Paris climate agreement. Their shareholders have only one formal power: the power of the vote. It’s time for more investors to exercise their vote.”

— Mark van Baal, founder of Follow This

Why this matters:

The once-promising strategy of using shareholder activism to nudge oil giants toward climate accountability is now facing a sobering backlash. In recent years, investor-backed climate resolutions have managed to force major players like Shell, Chevron, and ExxonMobil to publicly commit to emission reduction goals, even if those promises were non-binding. But the momentum behind these campaigns is faltering amid growing political pushback, particularly in the U.S., where Republican-controlled states have begun punishing financial firms for pursuing ESG — environmental, social, and governance — agendas. This politicization has had a chilling effect on institutional investors, who now fear retaliation for aligning too closely with climate goals.

www.theguardian.com

Credit: Douglas Fischer

One lawyer's groundbreaking work in shaping climate law

As governments stall and emissions climb, human rights lawyers like Monica Feria-Tinta are turning to the courts to force climate action — one tree, island, or river at a time.

Samira Shackle reports for The Guardian.

In short:

Feria-Tinta is pioneering legal strategies that argue climate inaction violates human rights, helping Indigenous and vulnerable communities take their cases to global courts.
Her work includes landmark victories like the Torres Strait case, where the United Nations ruled Australia failed to protect islanders from climate harm, and Ecuador’s Los Cedros forest, which won legal rights as a living entity.
While legal wins are often slow and hard-fought, they’re shifting the global legal landscape, transforming courts into battlegrounds where climate justice and biodiversity now have a voice.

Key quote:

“Whether it’s a single tree, or a whole community depending on a river, what is at stake is the future of humanity.”

— Monica Feria-Tinta

Why this matters:

As heat, floods, and displacement intensify, the courtroom has become a potent line of defense. Climate litigation can hold powerful players accountable, push policy change, and help protect the ecosystems our health depends on — even when other systems fail. These legal wins are slow, complex, and anything but guaranteed. But they’re a signal that the courtroom is becoming one of the last places where the planet still stands a fighting chance.

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www.ehn.org

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