A Dutch court has today ruled that oil giant
Judges at a lower court in
Read more: Shell’s shareholders vote for its climate strategy, despite growing support for its activist rival
The firm said that it expected to appeal the decision.
The case against the oil firm was brought by Milieudefensie, the Dutch arm of
They argued that Shell’s continued investment in oil and gas posed a threat to human rights.
Although the judgement is legally binding only in
“The judge has left no room for doubt:
A
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“We are investing billions of dollars in low-carbon energy, including electric vehicle charging, hydrogen, renewables and biofuels. We want to grow demand for these products and scale up our new energy businesses even more quickly.
“We will continue to focus on these efforts and fully expect to appeal today’s disappointing court decision.”
“This is arguably the most significant climate change related judgment yet, which emphasises that companies and not just governments may be the target of strategic litigation which seeks to drive changes in behaviour.
“Oil and gas companies will be scrutinising the judgment, as will pressure groups and claimant lawyers to see whether there is scope for similar claims to be brought against other companies in other jurisdictions.”
The verdict comes shortly after a growing number of shareholders voted against Shells’ climate strategy at its recent AGM.
Over 11 per cent of investors voted against the advisory motion, while more than 30 per cent voted for an alternative motion proposed by campaigners Follow This.
Read more: Financial services industry is one of the UK’s biggest contributors to climate change
The proposal asked
Under
The post Dutch court rules that
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