Shell is no longer required to reduce their carbon emissions by a dramatic percentage by 2030 after a Dutch court ruled in the company's favor.
"Even though Shell bears a special responsibility as a large oil and gas company, that does not mean we can apply a general reduction goal of 45%," presiding judge Carla Joustra said, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The court had previously ordered Shell in 2021 to dramatically cut emissions, both for the company and for the products it sells, by 45% by 2030. However, after appealing the ruling, the court decided that the effectiveness of the specific percentage was too widely debated, therefore leading it to be dismissed, as reported by CNN.
The Hague Court of Appeal ruled that while Shell has a responsibility to help fight climate change, it can do so by its own determined metrics.
"We are pleased with the court's decision, which we believe is the right one for the global energy transition, the Netherlands and our company," Shell's CEO Wael Sawan said in a statement. "Our target to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 remains at the heart of Shell's strategy and is transforming our business."
Donald Pols, director of the environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth Netherlands, said that he was disappointed by the court's ruling, but pledged to keep fighting major polluters.
"The court affirmed that companies... are responsible for the human rights violations resulting from climate change," Pols told CNN. "The judge also stated that the more than 800 fossil fuel projects (in Shell's pipeline) are contradictory to its responsibility to act in accordance with human rights principles. These are all very important legal principles that... can be used in future court cases."
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