The court has ruled in Shell's appeal in the Climate Case that Milieudefensie won against Shell in 2021. The Court of Appeal has ruled that the oil and gas giant has a responsibility to reduce its emissions, but has not imposed a reduction obligation.
Milieudefensie director Donald Pols: "This hurts. At the same time, we see that this case has ensured that major polluters are not inviolable and has further fueled the debate about their responsibility in combating dangerous climate change. That's why we're going to continue to tackle big polluters, like Shell."
There are some bright spots in the ruling. The Court of Appeal has ruled that Shell has an individual responsibility to reduce its CO2 emissions to stop dangerous climate change. The Court also clearly stated that exploration of new oil and gas fields are at odds with the Paris climate agreement. The Court unequivocally underscored that protection against climate change is a human right and that not just states, but also companies such as Shell are under an obligation to protect human rights.
Milieudefensie filed its lawsuit in 2018 with six* co-plaintiff organisations and with the support of more than 17,000 people.
Photo above: Winnie Oussoren, Donald Pols and Roger Cox at the court session. © Frank van Beek
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