Climate activist group Friends of the Earth Netherlands has brought its case against Shell to the Dutch Supreme Court, seeking a clear carbon reduction target for the company and its products.
Shell had won an appeal in November against a 2021 court decision that required the company to speed up its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The appeals court acknowledged Shell’s responsibility to cut emissions to fight global warming but ruled that it could not set a specific reduction target for the company.
Friends of the Earth disagrees, arguing that there are still enough grounds to demand a concrete target. “Judges have already confirmed that Shell is responsible for reducing emissions and must contribute to the Paris Climate Agreement,” said the group’s lawyer, Roger Cox. “There is a solid legal basis for making the ruling more specific and stronger.”
In 2021, the court had ordered Shell to cut its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, including emissions from the use of its products. However, the appeals court sided with Shell, stating that a strict emission cut could have negative global consequences, such as prompting customers to switch from Shell’s gas to more polluting coal.
Shell CEO Wael Sawan expressed support for the appeals court’s decision, calling it “the right one for the global energy transition, the Netherlands, and our company.”
The Supreme Court will not review the facts and evidence from the lower courts but will examine whether the legal procedures were followed correctly and whether the ruling was sufficiently justified. It will then either uphold or overturn the decision, and the case could be sent to another court. A final ruling is expected in 2026.
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