2021 was the year we won our landmark climate lawsuit against Shell. It was a big moment for us. But the moment did not end there. The following wins were in large part thanks to our victory over Shell in court.
Shell’s marketing team are doing overtime. The oil and gas giant is very busy indeed trying to make us believe that they are working to create a green future. But we are not buying it. Ever since the start of our campaign, many critical voices have risen against Shell. Journalists have written about the company’s greenwashing (when a company pretends to be more environmentally friendly than they really are). And Shell’s claim to being the greenest in the oil and gas industry got a serious blow when we brought our successful climate case against them and presented the truth about Shell’s business to the judges.
⏰ The countdown has begun. On Tuesday November 12th, the court will pronounce its judgment in Shell’s appeal of the ruling from our successful 2021 climate lawsuit. This is a decisive moment for all of us. Read more about this important day.
Over the course of the appeal hearings, we revealed details on Shell’s greenwashing. For the public to see. When questioned in court, Shell has nowhere to hide: the judges care only about the facts, there is no way to hide your true face. So, Shell will have to confess that they are not lowering their emissions by 2030. An inconvenient truth for Shell to admit. Because on the outside, Shell looks like they are changing their business in line with the Paris Agreement. But in reality, they are not. And it's becoming more and more clear to the press, too.
For years, pension funds stuck with the strategy of changing fossil fuel companies from the inside out. The funds would emphasize the need for more sustainable policies during the annual general meetings. But now, thanks in part to the shocking findings we presented during the appeal, several pension funds decided to withdraw from fossil fuel investments. One of the Netherlands’ largest pension funds, PFZW, divested 97% of its shares in oil and gas companies, one of which was Shell. One of our key pieces of evidence was that Shell has over 800 oil and gas fields in the pipeline to be developed.
Our climate case against Shell has shown oil and gas companies that they are not inviolable. These are billion dollar companies that hold immense power in society. And still, we have proven to them that if we stand together, we can beat large polluters'.
Since the day the judge ruled in our favor, we’ve been connecting with activist groups from Australia to the UK and from Argentina to the Wadden Sea. Each of them are standing up to Shell’s pollutive business plans in the places they call home.
In Argentina, for example, Shell wants to start drilling in the deep sea, off the coast of Vaca Muerta. We talked to activists from the Atlanticazo, OPsur and AIDA. Many Argentinians are concerned about Shell’s plans. “It is important that we come together, especially now. To put a stop to Shell’s plans to exploit new oil and gas fields while we can. We know that once they start, it is much harder to push them out again.”
Our case against Shell has also inspired new climate cases around the world. Several groups have even used arguments and evidence from our climate lawsuit, such as expert statements, to build their case. The court ruling from Milieudefensie vs Shell has also served as an example for other, similar climate verdicts.
Lastly, our case against Shell gave us a stepping stone for a second climate case. In 2022, we screened the climate plans of 29 major polluters. Beginning 2024, we announced our second lawsuit, against Dutch bank ING. Ours is the first ever case launched against a financial institution in the Netherlands for its weak climate policies.
No matter the outcome on November 12th, we already consider our climate case against Shell a success. It is the best possible proof that we the people, together, are stronger than large polluters.
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