The Dutch court delivered its verdict on Wednesday in a resounding case launched by a collective of environmental NGOs against the oil giant Shell.

It must now reduce its CO2 emissions by the end of 2030 by 45% net compared to 2019. A decision that could set a precedent around the world.

The oil giant Shell must make more efforts to reduce its "enormous" quantities of CO2 emissions, a Dutch court ruled on Wednesday which rendered its verdict in a resounding case launched by a collective of environmental NGOs.

The case, called "the people v Shell", could set a precedent in courts around the world where similar claims are growing.

"The court orders Royal Dutch Shell to reduce its CO2 emissions by the end of 2030 by 45% net compared to 2019," Judge Larisa Alwin said in court in The Hague.

"Shell is responsible for huge CO2 emissions" and "contributes to the disastrous consequences of climate change for the population", she added.

The NGOs at the initiative of the case hailed a "historic verdict" because, for the first time, a company is forced by the courts to align with the Paris Climate Agreement, signed in 2015. L The case was launched in April 2019 by Milieudefensie, the Netherlands branch of the international organization Friends of the Earth, alongside six other NGOs, including Greenpeace and ActionAid in the Netherlands.

More than 17,000 Dutch citizens also filed for civil action.

Shell decided to appeal

The oil giant has said it intends to appeal the "disappointing" verdict.

Shell believes that there is no legal basis for NGO claims and that this process is a political decision at government level.

A spokesperson for the group also highlighted Shell's efforts in the fight against global warming. "Urgent action is needed against climate change, which is why we have stepped up our efforts to become an energy group in net zero emissions by 2050, in tune with society, ”he said in a statement.

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The Anglo-Dutch multinational announced in February that it plans to reduce - compared to 2016 - its net carbon intensity by 20% by 2030, 45% by 2035 and fully (100%) by 2050. " Royal Dutch Shell has already tightened its targets, but the policy is not concrete and is full of conditions, "said judge Larisa Alwin in this regard.

The verdict was greeted with cries of victory and tears of joy from dozens of activists present in front of the court, alongside some fifty cyclists who cycled across the country for the occasion.

"We are writing history"

"Today we are writing history, alongside 17,000 co-complainants," said the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth.

"This is the first time that a company must align its policy with the Paris Agreement on the climate. It is a mega step forward which will have global consequences," she continued in a statement.

Since the Paris Agreement, which aims to contain the rise in temperatures below 2 ° C compared to the pre-industrial era, many manufacturers have committed to reducing their CO2 emissions.

But NGOs believe that their efforts are far from the mark.

"This verdict is a historic victory for the climate and for everyone facing the consequences of the climate crisis," said Andy Palmen, interim director of Greenpeace in the Netherlands.

"Shell cannot continue to violate human rights and make profit at the expense of people and the planet," he added in a statement.

"We can hold multinationals around the world responsible for the climate crisis," he continued.

"Forcing the big polluters"

For Milieudefensie, it is impossible to respect the Paris Agreement without "big polluters like Shell" being legally forced to take measures in this direction.

The NGOs thus asked the Dutch justice to order Shell to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030, "in accordance with the objectives agreed in the Paris Agreement on the climate".

In another landmark case brought by environmental organization Urgenda, the Dutch Supreme Court last year ordered the state to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by the end. 2020, according to Milieudefensie, creating a precedent for its action.

The Netherlands, particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change as part of the country is below sea level, has committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 49% by 2030, compared to 1990