Shell Overturns Dutch Court Order to Slash Emissions Faster

  • Lower court had ordered Shell to cut emissions by 45% by 2030
  • The latest decision can be appealed to Dutch Supreme Court
A Shell oil storage silo.Photographer: Peter Boer/Bloomberg
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Shell Plc won an appeal at a Dutch court overturning a historic 2021 ruling that ordered it to reduce its emissions faster than originally planned, in a significant setback to groups seeking climate justice through courts.

Shell has a duty to slash its emissions but it’s already doing so and there is no way to work out precisely what percentage reduction should apply to oil and gas companies, judges said in a verdict in The Hague on Tuesday.