In Scotland, a climate justice advocate is being praised for bravely confronting Shell CEO Ben van Beurden during a TED event in Edinburgh Thursday. Lauren MacDonald is a campaigner for a Green New Deal Rising. She and van Beurden appeared on a TED Countdown Summit panel together that was described by its organizers as a forum where speakers would “share a blueprint for a beautiful net-zero future.” Tickets for the four-day event were between $10,000 and $50,000. These were some of MacDonald’s remarks.

Lauren MacDonald “No matter what he says today, remember, Shell has spent millions covering up the warnings from climate scientists, bribing politicians, and even paying soldiers to kill Nigerian activists fighting against them, all whilst rebranding to make it look as though they care and that they have the intention of changing. Disproportionately in the Global South, so many people are already dying due to issues related to the climate crisis, such as pollution, extreme heat and weather-related disasters. This is not an abstract issue, and you are directly responsible for those deaths. … We will never forget what you have done and what Shell has done. I hope you know that as the climate crisis gets more and more deadly, you will be to blame. And I will not be sharing this podium with you anymore.”