Shell, not surprisingly, said it will appeal the ruling and that the company has set their goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. This is demonstrably greenwashing.
A Dutch court has ruled that Shell must speed up cutting carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 when compared with 2019 levels. The ruling also applies to Shell’s suppliers and customers. This outstanding step toward a corporation’s accountability and responsibility derived from activist groups that filed a lawsuit in April 2019 on behalf of more than 17,000 Dutch citizens. The suit alleged that Shell’s continued investment in fossil fuels represents a threat to human rights.
The District Court in The Hague ruled that Shell was “obliged” to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of its activities by 45% at the end of 2030 compared with 2019. The court ruled that “Shell’s climate policy was not concrete and is full of conditions…that’s not enough”, thereby ordering the company to cut carbon emissions by a remarkable 45% by 2030.
The ruling sets a significant precedent. It clearly opens the door to climate change litigation against other energy companies, such as Total, BP, Exxon, Mobil, or Chevron, among others. Ultimately, when all the legal maneuvering to escape culpability is over from well-financed Big Oil, fossil fuel suppliers will be forced to increase and/or speed emission reduction plans and their implementation. (Hyundai, Shell to Expand Cooperation on Clean Energy)
Shell, not surprisingly, said it will appeal the ruling and that the company has set their goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. This is demonstrably greenwashing: Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden recently said in an interview that the Shell focuses on the demand side while yearning that the demand for oil and gas would be around for a very long time. (Axios on HBO: Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden On Clean Energy Targets) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IwbcSsCDc8&t=99s
Friends of the need to take care for our planet from the ongoing negative effects of climate change were quick to note that as long as oil and gas demand persist, Shell will continue drilling, making its carbon- neutral plan far-fetched. Milieudefensie*, the Dutch chapter of the Friends of the Earth, joined by other activists , likely helped the court’s readiness to order a key member of Big Oil what it must do globally to protect the climate. However, the ruling appears to be only valid in the Netherlands.
“Shell has failed to deliver due diligence responsibility under Dutch law because its policies and emissions contribute to a dangerous climate change,” said Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary. “We expect and demand that this ruling will oblige Shell and other oil companies to develop real plans to reduce their carbon emissions and invest in green energy and products with a socially acceptable Just Transition… done in consultation with workers and their unions in order to achieve justice in workplaces and communities.”
The IndustriALL Global Union – a union network with relevant affiliates – has conducted a campaign demanding Shell to apply the same high-level standards and its operations everywhere, including suppliers. However, Shell “remains hostile to the unions and fails to engage with them on a global level and limit precarious work, improve health and safety.”
IndustriAll noted that in the U.S., Shell has decided to pull itself back from the refining industry by selling the Puget Refinery to HollyFrontier, and the Deer Park Refinery to Mexico state owned oil company Pemex. It’s ironic that Deer Park was cited as a flagship refinery for Shell in the U.S., with which a serious risk has emerged that hundreds of workers may be left behind. The workers in the refinery are members of IndustriALL’s affiliate USW.
* “The object of the association [Milieudefensie]is contributing to the solution and prevention of environmental problems and the conservation of cultural heritage, as well as striving for a sustainable society, at the global, national, regional and local level, in the broadest sense of the word, all of which in the interest of the association members and in the interest of the quality of the environment, nature and the landscape, in the broadest sense, for current and future generations”
Dutch Court Rules Shell Must Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Shell, not surprisingly, said it will appeal the ruling and that the company has set their goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. This is demonstrably greenwashing.
A Dutch court has ruled that Shell must speed up cutting carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 when compared with 2019 levels. The ruling also applies to Shell’s suppliers and customers. This outstanding step toward a corporation’s accountability and responsibility derived from activist groups that filed a lawsuit in April 2019 on behalf of more than 17,000 Dutch citizens. The suit alleged that Shell’s continued investment in fossil fuels represents a threat to human rights.
The District Court in The Hague ruled that Shell was “obliged” to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of its activities by 45% at the end of 2030 compared with 2019. The court ruled that “Shell’s climate policy was not concrete and is full of conditions…that’s not enough”, thereby ordering the company to cut carbon emissions by a remarkable 45% by 2030.
The ruling sets a significant precedent. It clearly opens the door to climate change litigation against other energy companies, such as Total, BP, Exxon, Mobil, or Chevron, among others. Ultimately, when all the legal maneuvering to escape culpability is over from well-financed Big Oil, fossil fuel suppliers will be forced to increase and/or speed emission reduction plans and their implementation. (Hyundai, Shell to Expand Cooperation on Clean Energy)
Shell, not surprisingly, said it will appeal the ruling and that the company has set their goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. This is demonstrably greenwashing: Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden recently said in an interview that the Shell focuses on the demand side while yearning that the demand for oil and gas would be around for a very long time. (Axios on HBO: Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden On Clean Energy Targets) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IwbcSsCDc8&t=99s
Friends of the need to take care for our planet from the ongoing negative effects of climate change were quick to note that as long as oil and gas demand persist, Shell will continue drilling, making its carbon- neutral plan far-fetched. Milieudefensie*, the Dutch chapter of the Friends of the Earth, joined by other activists , likely helped the court’s readiness to order a key member of Big Oil what it must do globally to protect the climate. However, the ruling appears to be only valid in the Netherlands.
“Shell has failed to deliver due diligence responsibility under Dutch law because its policies and emissions contribute to a dangerous climate change,” said Valter Sanches, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary. “We expect and demand that this ruling will oblige Shell and other oil companies to develop real plans to reduce their carbon emissions and invest in green energy and products with a socially acceptable Just Transition… done in consultation with workers and their unions in order to achieve justice in workplaces and communities.”
The IndustriALL Global Union – a union network with relevant affiliates – has conducted a campaign demanding Shell to apply the same high-level standards and its operations everywhere, including suppliers. However, Shell “remains hostile to the unions and fails to engage with them on a global level and limit precarious work, improve health and safety.”
IndustriAll noted that in the U.S., Shell has decided to pull itself back from the refining industry by selling the Puget Refinery to HollyFrontier, and the Deer Park Refinery to Mexico state owned oil company Pemex. It’s ironic that Deer Park was cited as a flagship refinery for Shell in the U.S., with which a serious risk has emerged that hundreds of workers may be left behind. The workers in the refinery are members of IndustriALL’s affiliate USW.
* “The object of the association [Milieudefensie]is contributing to the solution and prevention of environmental problems and the conservation of cultural heritage, as well as striving for a sustainable society, at the global, national, regional and local level, in the broadest sense of the word, all of which in the interest of the association members and in the interest of the quality of the environment, nature and the landscape, in the broadest sense, for current and future generations”