The battle between activists and companies is increasingly being played out in court. The Netherlands are pioneers in this area.
The verdict had the effect of a thunderclap. In May 2021, Shell was ordered by the court in The Hague (Netherlands) to align with the objectives of the Paris agreement by reducing its emissions by 45% by the end of 2030, compared to 2019. A world first for a company. It was the NGO Milieudefensie, the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth, which brought the case alongside more than 17,000 citizens and other associations. But this Tuesday, the local appeals court overturned the judgment finding that « Shell cannot be held to the existing consensus within climate science regarding a 45% reduction standard. % because this percentage does not apply to each country and each sector of activity separately ».
A victory for the oil company which has always ruled that there was no legal basis for Milieudefensie's claims. « We are happy with the decision we think…
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