Shell vinder ankesag mod banebrydende klimadom

UPDATED: The oil and gas company Shell won an appeal case in the Netherlands on Tuesday, after the company was sentenced to significantly reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases in 2021. This is written by the news agency Reuters.

The Court of Appeal rejects the entire judgment from 2021, which was described as groundbreaking and a victory for the environmental groups that took the case to court. The judgment in 2021 determined that Shell had to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by 45 per cent. compared to the 2019 level. It had to happen before 2030.

But on Tuesday, the judges reached a different decision after four days of hearings in April where Shell and environmental groups presented their arguments. The judges say, according to the AFP news agency on Tuesday, that "Shell is already doing what is expected".

The judgment certainly states that Shell has a responsibility to protect people from the consequences of climate change. But in 2021 they went too far, it says.

- Although Shell as a large oil and gas company has a special responsibility, this does not mean that we can allow a general reduction target of 45 percent to apply, says judge Carla Joustra.

Shell welcomes the verdict

Shell's CEO, Wael Sawan, welcomes the verdict. He says, according to Reuters, that it was "the right verdict for the global energy transition, the Netherlands and our company".

Shell has argued during the case that the 2021 judgment in the Netherlands would force the company to make the business smaller, without it benefiting the environment. Customers would simply look elsewhere, it said.

Shell has also said that demands to reduce emissions should come from states - not courts. The company has also previously said that in the period 2023 to 2025 the company will invest in the region of 10 to 15 billion dollars in "low-CO2 energy solutions".

The environmental groups are disappointed.

- This hurts, says the director of the environmental group Milieudefensie, Doland Pols.

It was the group that brought the case to the courts in 2019.

- At the same time, this case has also shown that major polluters are not above the law, says Pols.

Tuesday's verdict coincides with approximately 200 countries' negotiations at the COP29 climate conference. According to Reuters, it may end up before the Dutch Supreme Court. But Milieudefensie has not yet said anything about whether the group will now try to go to the Supreme Court. When the case was brought against Shell, which is a British company, the company had its headquarters in The Hague.

/ritzau/