Oil giant Shell has a new carbon footprint plan: millions of trees

Mary Catherine Wellons | CNBC

Ben van Beurden, Shell CEO

In the Netherlands, Shell is partnering with Dutch forestry service Staatsbosbeheer to plant more than 5 million trees over 12 years. In northern Spain, it will work with Land Life Company on a 300-hectare reforestation project with a goal of planting 300,000 trees by the end of the year.

Shell has also established an 800-hectare forest regeneration project in Queensland, Australia and is jointly studying projects with the Sarawak state government in Malaysia.

“Our focus on natural ecosystems is one step we are taking today to support the transition towards a low-carbon future,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement. “This comes in addition to our existing efforts, from reducing the carbon intensity of oil and gas operations to investments in renewable sources of energy.”

Shell has been investing in a range of new businesses, including household battery storage systems and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, as it seeks to get ahead of the transition to clean energy. Shell’s director for integrated gas and new energies, Maarten Wetselaar, at a conference in New York last month described the strategy as buying pieces of a puzzle.

On Monday, the company said it will build another 200 rapid charge points for electric vehicles at filling stations in the Netherlands.