13 years is too long for victims of Shell’s oil spills to wait for justice

A statement by Donald Pols of Friends of the Earth regarding a 2021 Dutch court victory for Nigerian farmers against Shell, highlighting the 13-year legal struggle and the need for EU-wide corporate due diligence legislation to ensure parent company liability for overseas environmental damage.

• On 29 January 2021, a Dutch court ruled that Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary breached their duty of care regarding oil spills in the Niger Delta, marking the first time survivors of Shell's pollution won compensation in the company's home country.
• Oil pollution in the Niger Delta has caused severe health issues for hundreds of thousands of Ogoni people and reduced life expectancy by ten years compared to the rest of Nigeria.
• The legal process for the Nigerian farmers took 13 years due to procedural debates and difficulties in accessing Shell's documents and proving parent company responsibility.
• The author advocates for EU-wide 'corporate due diligence' legislation to establish parent company liability and a duty of care to prevent harm across supply chains, making it easier for victims of overseas corporate crimes to access justice in Europe.

APA

Pols, D. (2021). 13 years is too long for victims of Shell’s oil spills to wait for justice. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/13-years-is-too-long-for-victims-of-shells-oil-spills-to-wait-for-justice/

Chicago

Pols, Donald. 13 years is too long for victims of Shell’s oil spills to wait for justice. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/13-years-is-too-long-for-victims-of-shells-oil-spills-to-wait-for-justice/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Pols |first1=Donald |title=13 years is too long for victims of Shell’s oil spills to wait for justice |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=11 February 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/13-years-is-too-long-for-victims-of-shells-oil-spills-to-wait-for-justice/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{pols2021years, author = {Pols, Donald}, title = {{13 years is too long for victims of Shell’s oil spills to wait for justice}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://www.foei.org/13-years-is-too-long-for-victims-of-shells-oil-spills-to-wait-for-justice/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }