A Dutch court ordered Royal Dutch Shell to significantly cut its greenhouse gas emission, in a landmark ruling that could set the stage for legal action against energy companies around the world, ABS-CBN News said Thursday, citing a Reuters report.
According to a decision by The Hague District Court, Shell must reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels. That includes CO2 emissions from its own operations and from energy products it sells.
The HDC ruled that the Anglo-Dutch energy company has a responsibility of care to slash emissions and that its current cutback plans were not solid enough.
"Our hope is that this verdict will trigger a wave of climate litigation against big polluters, to force them to stop extracting and burning fossil fuels," NPR quoted Sara Shaw from Friends of the Earth International, as saying.
The decision comes just a week after the influential International Energy Agency (IEA) told oil producers they need to stop drilling for oil and gas immediately to prevent a climate disaster.
A group of seven environmental and human rights groups and some 17,000 Dutch citizens filed the case against Shell in 2018.
Shell said it would appeal the ruling, which comes in the face of mounting pressure from activists, investors and governments on energy companies to shift away from fossil fuels and fast-track investments in renewable energy, the Associated Press said.
The 2030 goal affirmed by the court is more ambitious than Shell's target of achieving a "net-zero emissions energy business" by 2050.
Ben van Beurden, Shell chief executive officer, rejected absolute reduction goals at the company's annual general meeting this month. "Reducing absolute emissions at this point in time is predominantly possible by shrinking the business," he said.
Shell argues its 2050 target is in line with the Paris climate agreement. But THDC determined the company's plans were not adequate.
Donald Pols, director of Friends of the Earth Netherlands, called the ruling "a monumental victory for our planet, for our children and a big leap towards a livable future for everyone," according to The Associated Press.
