Shell wins appeal against Dutch ruling to cut emissions

Oil producer Shell has won its appeal in a Dutch court against a 2021 ruling to slash its global carbon emissions.

The appeals court in The Hague ruled that while Shell had to cut emissions, it could not determine the extent of the cuts and dismissed the entire case.

In May 2021, the Hague district court judged that Shell had to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2019 levels by 2030. The case was brought by Milieudefensie, which is the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth, and more than 17,000 co-plaintiffs.

Energy companies continue to invest in new oil and gas fields in response to supply fears cause by geopolitical instability such as the war in Ukraine.

Shell - along with rivals Petronas and Repsol - was last year ordered by Britain's advertising watchdog, to pull misleading ads as part of a crackdown on "greenwashing", or making operations look more sustainable than they really were.

The Advertising Standards Authority said the trio misled the public on the climate and environmental benefits of their products, promoting "green" credentials while failing to mention the polluting nature of broader operations.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com