30 July 2026

WWF Comment

For immediate release

UK counts the cost of climate impacts while Shell reports £12b earnings

Kate Norgrove, WWF’s Executive Director of Conservation, Advocacy and Policy, said: “On the day that wildfires have forced hundreds to flee for safety and new figures estimate heatwave deaths are already double last year’s, Shell has announced annual earnings of £12.5 billion.

“There has never been a starker illustration of the growing gap between those fuelling the climate crisis and those paying the price.

“While lives are being lost to extreme heat and our landscapes are being decimated by drought and wildfires, Shell is making huge profits by doubling down on the very industry driving these impacts.

“It is a powerful reminder that we must decisively break the UK's addiction to fossil fuels, including rejecting calls for new North Sea drilling which won't lower bills but will deepen the climate crisis people are already experiencing.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Today the UK Health Security Agency estimated there were 2,877 heat-associated deaths during May and June, double the number last summer.
Today, Shell announced earnings of £7.37 billion between April and June with annual earnings jumping to £12.55 billion.
Half of England is in drought after low rain and hot weather. There have been three droughts in the past five years, in 2022, 2025 and 2026.