A Dutch court will on Tuesday pronounce whether to confirm or scale down a landmark 2021 verdict against Shell, which had compelled the oil giant to dramatically lower its greenhouse gas emissions.
The case lodged by climate groups Friends of the Earth Netherlands and others requires Shell to reduce absolute emissions 45 percent by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. This is deemed to encompass emissions generated by the use of its products, rather than operations themselves.
The appeals court in The Hague can accept the judgment, set it aside in its entirety or partially, and so leave out the emissions resulting from Shell’s customers. In any case, no one expects the battle to come to an end as the parties are allowed to appeal again before the Netherlands Supreme Court.
The verdict is made while global leaders in climate action are attending the COP29 summit held in Baku, Azerbaijan. It will, according to Shell, force the company to shrink its business because it forces customers to take their patronage elsewhere.Friends of the Earth Netherlands see the case as a victory of significant importance for climate action – after the European Court of Human Rights judgment earlier this year recognised climate change to be an issue of human rights.
Shell says it is on track to meet the targets set for emissions reductions in its operation, having reduced the emissions of its production by 30% on 2016 levels. But it has now cut back its targets for the carbon intensity of the products it sells, aiming for a 15-20% reduction by 2030, less ambitious than an earlier goal of a 45% cut by 2035. The court will deliver the ruling on Tuesday at 0700 GMT.