Big Oil has a big problem

Photo by Karsten Würth on Unsplash

On May 26, three of the world’s biggest oil companies — Shell, Exxon and Chevron — suffered separate blows that illustrated the speed at which mindsets are changing.

Shareholder are talking about climate change.

Investors are anxious about green energy.

And courts are saying someone’s got to do something about the way we’re polluting the planet.

It’s entirely in order to be hopeful we’re seeing the end of the old order. According to one analyst, the shareholder revolts over Big Oil’s future business model and the landmark court ruling in the Netherlands marks “the start of a new era” for the industry.

Indeed, it was pretty spectacular.

For a Dutch court to order Royal Dutch Shell to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by nearly half!

For a small, relatively new, activist investor group to win a seat (two seats actually) at Exxon Mobil’s boardroom table.

And for climate-concerned shareholders to force Chevron Corporation to plan out a way to cut emissions generat…