DUTCH COURT ORDERS SHELL TO CUT ITS CO2 EMISSIONS

Oil and gas company Shell has lost a major climate lawsuit brought by environmental organizations and has been ordered to significantly reduce its carbon dioxide emissions, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Shell must cut CO2 emissions by a net 45 percent by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, the court said in The Hague on Wednesday. According to the ruling, the British-Dutch company is obliged to protect the climate, and this applies to its own companies as well as to suppliers and end-users.

Shell had rejected the claims and argued that it had committed itself to climate protection. But the court said that the company's adopted measures were "not very concrete and full of exceptions."

The company likewise argued that it would have to reduce fossil fuel sales quickly if the court found against it, meaning other suppliers would take its place.

The court did not accept this argument. Other companies would also have the same obligations, it said.

Several environmental organizations and more than 17,000 citizens had sued the company. The plaintiffs argued that Shell was violating global climate goals and was continuing to invest heavily in the production of oil and natural gas.

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