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Historic victory: judge forces Shell to drastically reduce CO2 emissions

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In Energy
May 27th, 2021
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Shell Victory

From Friends of the Earth May 26 2021

By: Erik Stolpmann

May 26, 2021 (Ottawa) – For the first time in history, a judge has held a corporation liable for causing dangerous climate change. Today, as a result of legal action brought by Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie) together with 17,000 co-plaintiffs and six other organisations, the court in The Hague ruled that Shell must reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% within 10 years. This historic verdict has enormous consequences for Shell and other big polluters globally.

“This is a monumental victory for our planet, for our children and is a step towards a liveable future for everyone,” says Donald Pols, director of Friends of the Earth Netherlands. “The judge has left no room for doubt: Shell is causing dangerous climate change and must stop its destructive behaviour now.”

“This is a turning point in history. This case is unique because it is the first time a judge has ordered a large polluting company to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. This ruling may also have major consequences for other big polluters,” says Roger Cox, lawyer for Friends of the Earth Netherlands.

The verdict requires Royal Dutch Shell to reduce its emissions by 45% by the end of 2030. Shell is also responsible for emission from customers and suppliers. There is a threat of human rights violations to the “right to life” and “undisturbed family life”. Shell must comply with the judgement immediately, because Shell’s current climate policy is not concrete enough.

“This historic decision should resonate in board rooms around the globe. Investors in climate wrecking companies should pay heed,” says Beatrice Olivastri, CEO, Friends of the Earth Canada.

How this historic decision affects operations in Canada remains to be seen but the decision applies to the global operations of Shell which includes Shell Canada.

Shell has significant operations in Canada with a refinery in Sarnia and a refinery and chemical plant in Scotford, and a big piece of the LNG plant being built at Kitimat along with PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi and KOGAS. They retained 10% of their Alberta Athabasca Oil Sands Project when they sold 90% off in 2017. They operate over 1,300 retail gas stations from coast to coast.

We need to assess how this decision can have an impact in Canada and other Friends of the Earth country groups will do the same around the world.

“This historic victory sets a precedent that fossil fuel companies can be held liable for the harms caused by global climate change,” says Professor Lynda Collins. “Given that these companies have benefited from both greenhouse gas emissions and climate change denial, this result is only logical. This forward-looking decision requires Shell to become part of the solution – a novel and ground-breaking legal remedy that could be followed by courts all around the world.”

Read the original release here.

Watch the CBC video on the win here.

Read the English version of the court decision here.

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