liability for inadequate climate policy

Milieudefensie, an association representing 80,000 members, asserts that Royal Dutch Shell plc is legally liable for its substantial contribution to global climate change. The document claims Shell has been aware of the causal link between fossil fuels and global warming since at least 1986, yet continues to prioritize oil and gas growth over sustainable energy. Milieudefensie demands that Shell align its investment decisions with the Paris Agreement, phase out oil and gas production, and reduce scope 3 emissions to zero by 2050. The letter argues that Shell's current strategy—which assumes fossil fuels will meet over 50% of energy demand by 2050—is unlawful under Dutch law and violates human rights. It further alleges that Shell has engaged in misleading PR and lobbying to obstruct climate policies in the EU and US.

• Shell has possessed internal knowledge of the link between fossil fuels and climate change since at least 1986, including warnings that some parts of the earth could become uninhabitable.
• Shell is identified as a major individual contributor to global warming, with 1.8% of the total increase in atmospheric CO2 since 1890 directly attributable to its corporate activities.
• Despite public support for the Paris Agreement, Shell's internal corporate strategy assumes that fossil fuels will still meet more than 50% of global primary energy demand by 2050.
• Shell's investment priorities are heavily skewed toward fossil fuels, allocating only 1 to 2 billion dollars annually to sustainable technologies out of a total investment volume of 25 to 30 billion dollars.
• Shell has actively expanded into high-emission unconventional fossil fuels, such as tar sands in Canada, and has lobbied against EU and US climate policies to protect its business model.
• Milieudefensie contends that Shell's 'climate ambition' to reduce the CO2 intensity of its products by 50% by 2050 is insufficient because it does not require an absolute scale-down of fossil fuel activities.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2018). liability for inadequate climate policy. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Milieudefensie_legal_letter_Shell_4-April-2018.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. liability for inadequate climate policy. 2018. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Milieudefensie_legal_letter_Shell_4-April-2018.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=liability for inadequate climate policy |date=4 April 2018 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Milieudefensie_legal_letter_Shell_4-April-2018.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{friendsoftheearthinternational2018liability, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{liability for inadequate climate policy}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Milieudefensie_legal_letter_Shell_4-April-2018.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }