Oh Well!! Dutch Appeals Court Rejects 2021 Ruling That Shell Must Cut Its GHG Output [View all]

Shell has won its appeal against a landmark climate judgment by a Dutch court, which in 2021 ordered the fossil fuel company to sharply reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

A court of appeal ruled on Tuesday that, while Shell does have a “special responsibility” to cut its emissions as a big oil company, this would not be achieved by imposing a specific legal goal.

Shell had appealed against a lower court ruling in 2021 that it must cut its global carbon emissions by 45% by the end of 2030 compared with 2019 levels. It was the first such ruling against a company in the world. Shell’s chief executive, Wael Sawan, welcomed the appeal decision, saying it was “the right one for the global energy transition, the Netherlands and our company”.

The case was brought by Milieudefensie, the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth, and more than 17,000 co-plaintiffs. “This hurts,” said the director of Milieudefensie, Donald Pols. “At the same time, we see that this case has ensured that major polluters are not immune and has further fuelled the debate about their responsibility in combating dangerous climate change. That is why we will continue to tackle major polluters, such as Shell.”

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/12/shell-wins-appeal-against-court-ruling-ordering-cut-in-carbon-emissions