Oil giant Shell is appealing the three-year old ruling by Dutch courts that the company must reduce its carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 on environmental grounds.

The ruling, seen as a landmark in corporate responsibility to the environment and the first time that a company was legally obliged to consider the Paris Agreement of 2015 in its operations, has had repercussions across the globe, and overturning it could have equally dramatic effects.
Shell is arguing that it is up to the government to take action against climate change. It is not up to the court to judge, especially since it only concerns one company like Shell. Moreover, it points to the work it had already done in energy transition to renewable sources.

Dutch environmental activists, and arm of Friends of the Earth, Milieudefensie said: “It’s clear that our government is failing to regulate large multinational companies such as Shell. And Shell isn’t going to scale down its supplies of oil and gas on its own. That’s why it’s crucial for the judge to step in. The stakes are simply too high.”

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