Shell Wins Appeal in Landmark Carbon Emissions Cut Ruling

The 2021 verdict ordered Shell to reduce its carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030 from its 2019 level.

The logo of energy giant Shell at a petrol station in Bochum, Germany, on March 8, 2022. Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

A Dutch appeals court ruled in Shell’s favor, overturning a landmark decision that ordered the British oil giant to significantly cut its carbon emissions.

The ruling reverses a 2021 verdict by a lower court in The Hague, which had mandated that Shell reduce its carbon emissions by 45 percent from 2019 levels by 2030 in line with targets set under the 2015 Paris Agreement. That decision was the first of its kind worldwide, setting a legal precedent by holding a private company accountable for a global climate agenda.