At first instance, the oil company Shell was ordered by the Dutch courts to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide by 45%. For the company, the question of a company’s actions in the face of climate change is not a matter for justice, while for their part, environmental NGOs accuse Shell of having further worsened its emissions of CO2 since the 2021 judgment.
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From our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre Benazet
Shell has appealed to the Dutch courts because it believes that there is “no no legal basis » to impose CO2 emissions targets on a company. For the oil company, it is consumers who must decide which energy sources they use and who must choose their suppliers.
Shell claims to have also planned to invest between 10 and 15 billion euros in low carbon dioxide projects. The Anglo-Dutch oil company adds that the 2021 judgment does not force it to produce any results before the final deadline of 2030. But the NGOs who filed a complaint following Milieudefensie (Environmental Defense) do not hear this. from this ear. When they arrived at the court in The Hague this Tuesday, April 2, they affirmed that since 2021, Shell had on the contrary launched several gas or oil exploitation projects.
Shell says it fears for the future of investment in the Netherlands, but according to environmental defenders, the 2021 judgment is historic: the judges have included the responsibility of companies in the fight against climate change. which is part of human rights “.
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