The oil giant Shell has won an appeal against a 2021 landmark ruling that ordered it to reduce its carbon emissions by 45 per cent.
But it dismissed the 2021 ruling that ordered Shell to cut its absolute carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, including those caused by the use of its products. In a written summary of the ruling, the court said: "There is currently insufficient consensus in climate science on a specific reduction percentage to which an individual company like Shell should adhere."Investors took action in 2021 to force "big oil' to clean up its act, as top management at Exxon Mobil and Chevron got a shakeup and a Dutch court ruled that Shell must cut its carbon emissions.
The case in the Hague, where Shell was headquartered until it completed its move to London in 2022, was viewed as pivotal for both sides of the emissions divide and helped to inspire other lawsuits.