Shell’s ‘obscene’ $5bn profits reignite outrage amid climate crisis

Greenpeace activists hold a billboard outside Shell’s London headquarters after the company’s profits announcement. Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe for Greenpeace/Getty Images

Shell has reignited outrage among climate activists by handing billions to its shareholders after making profits that campaigners have described as “obscene”.

Protests were held outside the oil company’s London headquarters on Thursday after it reported second-quarter profits of just over $5bn (£3.9bn) in the same week that wildfires linked to the climate crisis burned across Mediterranean countries.