The summons of the climate case against Shell summarized in 4 pages

This fact sheet summarizes the legal summons issued on 5 April 2019 by Milieudefensie and other claimants against Shell. The claimants argue that Shell's business model violates its legal duty of care and endangers human rights by contributing to dangerous climate change, demanding that the company align its emissions reductions with the IPCC's 1.5°C pathway.

• Milieudefensie and over 17,200 co-claimants demand that Shell align its CO2 emissions reductions with the IPCC scenario to maintain a 50% chance of staying below 1.5°C, specifically requiring reductions of at least 45% by 2030 (compared to 2010) and reaching net zero by 2050.
• The claimants argue that Shell is breaching its legal duty of care under article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code regarding 'unlawful endangerment', noting that Shell is responsible for 1.8% of all historical human-caused CO2 emissions and approximately 1% of global emissions annually.
• Evidence suggests Shell has been aware of climate change since the 1950s and its serious consequences since 1986, yet the company abandoned a sustainable pathway around 2007 to focus on polluting fossil fuels like shale gas and tar sands.
• The claimants assert that Shell's 2017 climate ambition is inadequate because it focuses on relative carbon intensity rather than absolute emission reductions, meaning the company could meet its goals without reducing the production or sale of fossil fuels.
• The summons claims Shell is violating human rights, including the right to life and health, and is failing to live up to its voluntary commitments to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
• The document cites the transformation of the Danish energy company DONG into Ørsted as a successful example of a fossil-based company transitioning to renewable energy, with a goal to reduce emissions by 96% by 2035.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (n.d.). The summons of the climate case against Shell summarized in 4 pages. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/english-summary-of-legal-summons.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. The summons of the climate case against Shell summarized in 4 pages. n.d. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/english-summary-of-legal-summons.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=The summons of the climate case against Shell summarized in 4 pages |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/english-summary-of-legal-summons.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternationalndsummons, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{The summons of the climate case against Shell summarized in 4 pages}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/english-summary-of-legal-summons.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }