SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The Shell logo is pictured at a gas station in London on February 2, 2023.
(Photo: Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
Climate Advocates 'Confident' in Victory as Shell Appeals Landmark Ruling
Campaigners described the company’s appeal as “a desperate attempt at justifying more oil and gas extraction.”
Apr 02, 2024
Shell appealed a case on Tuesday at The Hague that ordered the fossil fuel giant to drastically cut its greenhouse gas emissions.
A Dutch court ordered the company in 2021 to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. Shell is arguing that customers will turn to other fuel suppliers if it obeys the order.
"This case has no legal basis," Shell's lawyer Daan Lunsingh Scheurleer told the court. "It obstructs the role that Shell can and wants to play in the energy transition."
"Oil and gas will play an important role in both the security of supply and affordability during the energy transition," he claimed.
NEW: Shell is appealing against a landmark order to cut greenhouse gas emissions, after rowing back on its climate targets.
It's a desperate attempt at justifying more oil and gas extraction amidst warnings from experts and increasing climate impacts.
Shell must be stopped. pic.twitter.com/jC0TrDU8VD
— #StopRosebank (@StopCambo) April 2, 2024
Friends of the Earth Netherlands, which brought the case against Shell, said the "scientific basis" for its case has "only solidified" since the initial ruling.
"I am confident that we can once again convince the judges that Shell needs to act in line with international climate agreements," the group's lawyer Roger Cox said.
.@Shell appeal against 2021 historic #climate ruling starts April 2 and @milieudefensie are ready!
“Shell is constantly trying to run away from its responsibility to stop dangerous climate change, but they can't bolt from the courtroom" says @DonaldPols https://t.co/bPlVIXTnI5
— Friends of the Earth International (@FoEint) March 28, 2024
The court order affects the company as a whole, not just its operations in the Netherlands. A verdict on the appeal is expected later this year.
"Shell aims to reduce the carbon intensity of products it sells by 15-20% by 2030 from a 2016 baseline after watering down the target in March," Reuters reports. "Shell has an 'ambition' to reduce customer emissions from the use of its oil products by 15-20% by 2030 compared with 2021. Shell also aims to become a 'net zero' emissions company by 2050."
A report from last year found Shell knew about the impacts of burning fossil fuels much earlier than previously known.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Shell appealed a case on Tuesday at The Hague that ordered the fossil fuel giant to drastically cut its greenhouse gas emissions.
A Dutch court ordered the company in 2021 to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. Shell is arguing that customers will turn to other fuel suppliers if it obeys the order.
"This case has no legal basis," Shell's lawyer Daan Lunsingh Scheurleer told the court. "It obstructs the role that Shell can and wants to play in the energy transition."
"Oil and gas will play an important role in both the security of supply and affordability during the energy transition," he claimed.
NEW: Shell is appealing against a landmark order to cut greenhouse gas emissions, after rowing back on its climate targets.
It's a desperate attempt at justifying more oil and gas extraction amidst warnings from experts and increasing climate impacts.
Shell must be stopped. pic.twitter.com/jC0TrDU8VD
— #StopRosebank (@StopCambo) April 2, 2024
Friends of the Earth Netherlands, which brought the case against Shell, said the "scientific basis" for its case has "only solidified" since the initial ruling.
"I am confident that we can once again convince the judges that Shell needs to act in line with international climate agreements," the group's lawyer Roger Cox said.
.@Shell appeal against 2021 historic #climate ruling starts April 2 and @milieudefensie are ready!
“Shell is constantly trying to run away from its responsibility to stop dangerous climate change, but they can't bolt from the courtroom" says @DonaldPols https://t.co/bPlVIXTnI5
— Friends of the Earth International (@FoEint) March 28, 2024
The court order affects the company as a whole, not just its operations in the Netherlands. A verdict on the appeal is expected later this year.
"Shell aims to reduce the carbon intensity of products it sells by 15-20% by 2030 from a 2016 baseline after watering down the target in March," Reuters reports. "Shell has an 'ambition' to reduce customer emissions from the use of its oil products by 15-20% by 2030 compared with 2021. Shell also aims to become a 'net zero' emissions company by 2050."
A report from last year found Shell knew about the impacts of burning fossil fuels much earlier than previously known.
Shell appealed a case on Tuesday at The Hague that ordered the fossil fuel giant to drastically cut its greenhouse gas emissions.
A Dutch court ordered the company in 2021 to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. Shell is arguing that customers will turn to other fuel suppliers if it obeys the order.
"This case has no legal basis," Shell's lawyer Daan Lunsingh Scheurleer told the court. "It obstructs the role that Shell can and wants to play in the energy transition."
"Oil and gas will play an important role in both the security of supply and affordability during the energy transition," he claimed.
NEW: Shell is appealing against a landmark order to cut greenhouse gas emissions, after rowing back on its climate targets.
It's a desperate attempt at justifying more oil and gas extraction amidst warnings from experts and increasing climate impacts.
Shell must be stopped. pic.twitter.com/jC0TrDU8VD
— #StopRosebank (@StopCambo) April 2, 2024
Friends of the Earth Netherlands, which brought the case against Shell, said the "scientific basis" for its case has "only solidified" since the initial ruling.
"I am confident that we can once again convince the judges that Shell needs to act in line with international climate agreements," the group's lawyer Roger Cox said.
.@Shell appeal against 2021 historic #climate ruling starts April 2 and @milieudefensie are ready!
“Shell is constantly trying to run away from its responsibility to stop dangerous climate change, but they can't bolt from the courtroom" says @DonaldPols https://t.co/bPlVIXTnI5
— Friends of the Earth International (@FoEint) March 28, 2024
The court order affects the company as a whole, not just its operations in the Netherlands. A verdict on the appeal is expected later this year.
"Shell aims to reduce the carbon intensity of products it sells by 15-20% by 2030 from a 2016 baseline after watering down the target in March," Reuters reports. "Shell has an 'ambition' to reduce customer emissions from the use of its oil products by 15-20% by 2030 compared with 2021. Shell also aims to become a 'net zero' emissions company by 2050."
A report from last year found Shell knew about the impacts of burning fossil fuels much earlier than previously known.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.