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Shell highlights need for balance in addressing climate change and security of supply Oil and gas giant Shell has filed an appeal against a ruling made by a Dutch court less than a year ago, ordering the major to speed up its emission cuts. Shell believes that recent challenges with energy supply show that the energy transition is more than just reducing carbon emissions, but is a “political balancing act, requiring government-led policies.”
The case against Shell was filed in 2019 by Dutch environmental organisation Milieudefensie, other NGOs, and a group of private individuals. In a ruling described as first-of-its-kind, the District Court in The Hague in May 2021 ordered Shell to reduce its worldwide aggregate carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030, compared to 2019 levels. The court
said that Shell was also responsible for emissions from customers and suppliers and that the company must comply with the judgment immediately. Ruling After the ruling came in, the environmentalists cheered the court’s decision but Shell said it was
disappointed and that it would appeal against it. However, before going into details about the recently announced appeal against the ruling, it is important to provide a more in-depth overview of Shell’s net-zero plans and how they changed since the company first made the pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
