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ARTICLE · 06 DECEMBER 2024

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Shell Decision And Climate Litigation

A&O Shearman
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On November 12, 2024, The Hague Court of Appeal found in the case Millieudefensie vs. Shell that the Shell Group has an obligation to counter dangerous climate change.

GermanyEnvironment
Udo Herbert Olgemöller
Udo Herbert Olgemöller
Jan Erik Windthorst
Jan Erik Windthorst
Hilde van der Baan
Hilde van der Baan
Jochem Spaans
Jochem Spaans
Julia Becker
Julia Becker
Holger Jacobs
Holger Jacobs
Maike Hölscher
Maike Hölscher
Carlotta Jung-Arras
Carlotta Jung-Arras
Sarah Weber
Sarah Weber
Author LinkedIn connections

On November 12, 2024, The Hague Court of Appeal found in the case Millieudefensie vs. Shell that the Shell Group has an obligation to counter dangerous climate change. However, the Court was not able to establish that the Shell Group should reduce its overall carbon emissions by 45% compared to 2019.

This ruling has been commented by media outlets all over the world. Some viewed the ruling as a major win for big corporations 1, others claim it is a groundbreaking precedent that supports climate litigation 2. Our alert outlines briefly the key take-ways from the Millieudefensie vs. Shell decision for companies and contrasts it with current developments in climate change litigation in Germany and, thus, analyses the repercussions on doing business in Germany.

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