Following a legal campaign led by Friends of the Earth, Shell has been ordered to increase its emissions cuts. Dutch Judge Larisa Alwin ordered Shell to ensure that their carbon emissions are 45% lower in 2030 than they were in 2019, and that they had a human rights obligation to do so.
So what?
Climate litigation against fossil fuels companies that argue that emission cuts should occur, due to climate change’s threat on human rights, have been gathering pace recently. This landmark case is the first time though, that this type of lawsuit has forced a fossil fuel company to radically change its business strategy. It paves the way for similar lawsuits to occur against different businesses in different countries in the future. Potentially forcing them to increase their decarbonisation goals and helping to usher in a net-zero future.
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