Theage.com: SHELL - Big Oil talks clean but spends dirty | theage.com.au

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SHELL, the oil company that recently trumpeted its commitment to a low-carbon future by signing a pre-Bali conference communique, has quietly sold off most of its solar business. The move, taken with rival BP's decision a fortnight ago to invest in the world's dirtiest oil production, in Canada's tar sands, indicates that Big Oil might be giving up its flirtation with renewables and going back to its roots. Shell and BP are among the biggest producers of greenhouse gases in the world, but both have been keen to paint themselves green through a series of clean fuel initiatives. BP, under its former chief executive, John Browne, promised to go "beyond petroleum" while Shell has spent millions advertising its serious interest in the future of the environment.