Shell filed appeal against landmark Dutch climate ruling

LONDON: Energy major Shell has filed its appeal against a Dutch court ruling that ordered the oil, gas and fuel producer to cut its emissions faster in a landmark win for activists turning to courts to force climate action.

While Shell had set itself a target to reach net zero carbon neutrality by 2050, its intermediate targets were based on emissions intensity, which could in theory allow the group to increase fossil fuel output.

In last May’s ruling on the case brought by seven groups including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Netherlands, the court said that Shell must cut emissions faster and reduce its absolute emissions by 45% by 2030.

Shell said at the time of the ruling that it would appeal. In a post on LinkedIn, Marjan van Loon, Shell’s Netherlands President, said the appeal was filed on March 22.

The vast majority of Shell’s emissions are so-called Scope 3 emissions from the use of its products by customers, such as when gasoline is combusted in a car or jet fuel on a plane.