Follow This

Follow This Follow This is a Netherlands-based activist network and pressure group that campaigns for accelerated climate action from fossil fuel companies and increased transparency in energy policy. Founded by public figures and activists in Amsterdam, the organization uses shareholder advocacy, investigative publications, and media campaigns to push for a rapid transition away from coal, oil, and gas. Follow This has engaged with major energy multinationals and financial institutions, leveraging shareholder meetings and public reports to influence corporate strategy and public debate.

Background and Founding

Follow This was established in 2017 after a high-profile shareholder intervention at the annual meeting of a major European oil company; its origin involved Dutch satirist and television presenter Arjen Lubach and a coalition of activists, journalists, and concerned investors. The group grew amid wider movements including Extinction Rebellion, 350.org, and climate litigation campaigns such as cases before the European Court of Human Rights and national courts like the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. Early activity intersected with prominent climate figures and entities such as Greta Thunberg, Bill McKibben, Michael E. Mann, Mary Robinson, IPCC, UNFCCC, Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth, World Wildlife Fund, Sierra Club, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, and academic centers like the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

Mission and Activities

Follow This states a mission to hold fossil fuel corporations accountable, press for fast emissions reductions, and improve climate disclosure via shareholder resolutions and public research. The organization frames its work alongside international frameworks and actors including the Paris Agreement, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank, and the International Energy Agency. Activities combine shareholder engagement at corporations such as Shell plc, BP, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, TotalEnergies, Chevron, Eni, Equinor, and ConocoPhillips with cooperation or contrast to financial actors like BlackRock, Vanguard Group, State Street Corporation, Pension Fund for the Christian Church, CalPERS, Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, Allianz, AXA, Rabobank, and ING Group.

Key Campaigns and Publications

Notable campaigns led or supported by Follow This include filing climate-related shareholder resolutions, producing investigative briefings, and publishing open letters and manifestos targeting corporate boards and investors. Their publications and campaign materials have referenced scientific reports and policy analyses from institutions like the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, the IEA Net Zero by 2050 Roadmap, and legal analyses from organizations such as ClientEarth, Urgenda Foundation, Milieudefensie, Friends of the Earth Netherlands, and Our Children's Trust. Follow This has issued shareholder proposals focused on emissions targets, scenario planning, and disclosure practices at companies including Shell plc and BP, timed alongside annual general meetings where they coordinate with activist shareholders, climate researchers, and media outlets such as The Guardian, BBC News, The New York Times, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Economist, De Telegraaf, NRC Handelsblad.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Follow This operates as a volunteer-driven network with a core team that organizes campaigns, drafts shareholder resolutions, and liaises with legal advisers, communication firms, and allied NGOs. The group collaborates with independent researchers, law firms, activist networks, and institutional investors; partners have included entities like ClientEarth, Milieudefensie, ShareAction, Recourse, InfluenceMap, Carbon Tracker Initiative, Transition Pathway Initiative, CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), Institutional Shareholder Services, and academic researchers from universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Utrecht University, Leiden University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Funding sources reported by the organization and observers comprise small donations, membership fees, crowdfunding drives, and occasional grants coordinated with activist foundations and philanthropic actors like the Rockefeller Foundation, European Climate Foundation, ClimateWorks Foundation, Oak Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and individual benefactors.

Criticism and Controversies

Follow This has faced criticism and controversy from corporate defenders, some investors, and commentators who argue that its proposals underestimate technological, legal, or market constraints. Opponents have included corporate lobbying units at companies such as Shell plc, ExxonMobil, and BP and industry associations like the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers and national chambers of commerce. Critics have raised procedural objections in shareholder meetings, questioned the feasibility of proposed targets compared to roadmaps from the International Energy Agency and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and debated tactics vis-à-vis groups such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace International, and mainstream environmental NGOs. Legal challenges and media disputes have involved outlets such as Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, The Guardian, and Dutch national broadcasters.

Impact and Reception

Follow This has succeeded in elevating climate shareholder activism in Europe, influencing resolutions that prompted board-level discussions at major integrated oil companies and drawing attention from international media, investors, and policymakers. The group's campaigns contributed to a broader shift in investor expectations alongside moves by asset managers like BlackRock and sovereign funds such as the Government Pension Fund of Norway toward enhanced climate disclosure and net-zero commitments. Academic analyses, think tanks, and NGOs including Carbon Tracker Initiative, InfluenceMap, Chatham House, IEA, and IPCC have cited developments in corporate climate policy as part of an evolving governance landscape to which Follow This has been a visible contributor. Category:Climate change organizations