According to Milieudefensie, Shell is not complying with last year’s climate judgment and Shell directors should be held liable for this. The environmental organization has sent a letter to the oil company to that effect. If a judge goes along with this, it would be the first time that board members are held personally responsible.
The letter serves as a “clear warning” to Shell’s board, Milieudefensie says. The climate organization is delaying legal action until after Shell’s appeal, which is due in 2023 at the earliest.
Milieudefensie says in the letter that Shell still invests more in fossil energy than in sustainable energy and that there are no concrete plans to reduce emissions. Calculations by the climate organization would show that Shell’s total emissions could even increase until 2030.
“Almost a year after the judge’s verdict, Shell knowingly does not carry out the verdict. This leads to liability risks for the company and the board,” Milieudefensie said.
Shell: targets in line with Paris
In a response to the letter, Shell says it is studying it and that the court has given Shell “a wide discretion” about how it can meet the reduction obligation by 2030. In addition, the oil and gas group says that its climate goals are in line with the Paris climate agreement.
“We continue to view the court’s ruling as accelerating our strategy and taking meaningful action globally to reduce our emissions and lead the energy transition.”
Clear warning
Last year judged the judge that Shell must reduce its emissions by 45 percent before 2030 compared to the level of 2019. Shell subsequently announced that it would appeal against the judge’s ruling. Shell CEO Van Beurden stated at the time that a court order against a single company is ineffective.
NOS op 3 previously made an explainer about the judgment against Shell, and what that means for the large oil companies.
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