abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb

Cette page n’est pas disponible en Français et est affichée en English

Article

17 Déc 2024

Auteur:
Dr. Carlo Vittorio Giabardo, University of Turin

Expert highlights corporate climate responsibility and limits of litigation after “Milieudefensie vs. Shell”

"Corporate Climate Responsibility After “Milieudefensie vs. Shell” Court of Appeal Decision", 17 December 2024

The recent decision by The Hague Court of Appeal on 12 November 2024 in the case Milieudefensie vs. Shell was eagerly awaited in both legal academia and the oil and gas industry. It overturns the path-breaking initial 2021 judgment, in which the Shell group was ordered to reduce its aggregate annual volume of CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030, relative to 2019 values.

...The first point worth making clear is that the appeal decision did not retract the crucial reasoning that underpins the first-instance pronouncement, that is, under Dutch tort law principles, corporations do have a special ‘social’ duty of care to reduce emissions, in alignment with international and scientific goals, beyond existing European or domestic laws.

The Court of Appeals reiterates that Shell, in order for its actions to be considered lawful, must take into account all this vast body of formal and informal provisions well beyond strict climate legislation, to which it is directly subject (such as, at EU level, among others, the EU ETS and the next ETS 2 Directives, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and the recent Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

The message conveyed is that corporate compliance with existing legislation is insufficient...

For the Court of Appeal, the problem lies in the precise content of this social duty of care – i.e., the percentages of reduction and their concrete application...

Interestingly, the Court also pointed out that Shell has «tools» at its disposal that «have been developed that can help Shell influence its customers’ choices....

..[T]he Court of Appeal ... rejects a straightforward application of the 45 per cent reduction. It notes that these percentages are not meant to be equally and uniformly imposed on specific world regions, economic sectors, or companies. In the Court’s reasoning, also different sources of emissions should be burdened with different standards of reduction....The conclusion is that «the court cannot determine what specific reduction obligation applies to Shell» (§ 7:73)...

Chronologie

Informations sur la confidentialité

Ce site utilise des cookies et d'autres technologies de stockage web. Vous pouvez définir vos choix en matière de confidentialité ci-dessous. Les changements prendront effet immédiatement.

Pour plus d'informations sur notre utilisation du stockage web, veuillez vous référer à notre Politique en matière d'utilisation des données et de cookies

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

Cookie analytique

ON
OFF

Lorsque vous accédez à notre site Web, nous utilisons Google Analytics pour collecter des informations sur votre visite. Autoriser ce cookie nous permettra de comprendre en plus de détails sur votre parcours et d'améliorer la façon dont nous diffusons les informations. Toutes les informations analytiques sont anonymes et nous ne les utilisons pas pour vous identifier. Outre la possibilité que vous avez de refuser des cookies, vous pouvez installer le module pour la désactivation de Google Analytics.

Cookies promotionels

ON
OFF

Nous partageons des nouvelles et des mises à jour sur les entreprises et les droits de l'homme via des plateformes tierces, y compris les médias sociaux et les moteurs de recherche. Ces cookies nous aident à comprendre les performances de ces items.

Vos choix en matière de confidentialité pour ce site

Ce site utilise des cookies et d'autres technologies de stockage web pour améliorer votre expérience au-delà des fonctionnalités de base nécessaires.