A Dutch court has overturned a landmark ruling that ordered Shell to dramatically cut its greenhouse gas emissions, but the judgment may still leave heavily polluting companies open to more climate-related challenges, legal experts have said.
The court case in the Hague, dubbed “The People versus Shell”, was brought in 2019 by Friends of the Earth Netherlands and six other environmental organisations, together with more than 17,000 individuals.
The Dutch district court had sided with the environmental groups in ordering the FTSE 100 oil major to cut its emissions by 45 per cent by the end of the decade compared with 2019 levels, including those caused by customers using its products.
The Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth had argued that Shell’s business model