Dutch Appeals Court Overturns Landmark Climate Ruling Against Shell

A Dutch appeals court has overturned a landmark 2021 ruling that required energy company Shell to cut its carbon emissions by a net 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, although it affirmed that “protection against dangerous climate change is a human right,” Mike Corder reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The ruling in favor of Shell comes as a 12-day UN climate conference unfolds in Azerbaijan. I Photo: Shell

The decision represents a setback for the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups, who had celebrated the original ruling as a significant climate victory.

The latest civil ruling may be appealed to the Dutch Supreme Court. “This hurts,” said Friends of the Earth Netherlands director Donald Pols.

“But this case has shown that major polluters are not immune and has furthered the debate on their responsibility in combating climate change. We will continue to challenge major polluters like Shell.”

Outside the court, Pols remarked, “The fight against climate change is a marathon, not a sprint, and the race has just begun.”

The ruling in favor of Shell comes as a 12-day UN climate conference unfolds in Azerbaijan, where countries are discussing ways to fund emissions reduction and adapt to extreme weather events.

This decision is a blow for climate activists, following a series of courtroom victories, including a 2015 ruling from a court in The Hague that ordered the government to cut emissions by at least 25% from 1990 levels by 2020. The Dutch Supreme Court upheld that decision five years ago.