Communities will also play a vital role. Creating a sustainable energy system means finding ways to share the benefits of energy to improve life for as many people as possible, especially those living close to our operations. A lack of access to energy, for example, traps hundreds of millions of people in poverty. Their communities struggle to create jobs, raise standards of education and improve health.
Shell is working on ways to help overcome these challenges. Wherever we operate we aim to train and employ local people and to buy goods and services from local suppliers. In many cases this helps communities develop successful businesses and creates job skills that will improve long-term employment prospects.
We are looking at how, through our operations, we can support the provision of electricity to local communities. For example, in Nigeria we have made it possible for communities to be connected to power supplies near the Gbaran-Ubie project and close to the Bonny Island LNG plant.
Our approach also includes helping to make cleaner-burning cookstoves available that will significantly reduce the indoor air pollution that kills nearly 2 million people a year in the developing world.
