A Dutch court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on Wednesday in a spectacular case launched by a group of environmental NGOs that want to force Shell to reduce its CO2 emissions, including the Paris agreement on the oil giant He has been accused of not doing enough to align.

The initiative, named “The People Against Shell”, was launched in April 2019 by the Milliudefens, the Netherlands branch of the international organization Friends of the Earth. More than 17,000 Dutch citizens have joined as a civil party.

Along with six other NGOs in the Netherlands, including Greenpeace and ActionAid, Milliudefensi condemned the “destruction of the climate” on behalf of Shell, one of the world’s largest oil companies.

The company, for its part, is already taking serious measures to support the energy transition. Shell also believes that this process is a matter of political decision making and the claims of NGOs have no legal basis.

But Miliudefanci believes that it is impossible to honor the Paris Agreement without “large pollutants such as shale” being legally forced to take steps in this direction.

The court hearing in The Hague is scheduled for 3:00 pm (1:00 pm GMT).

“The climate case against Shell is unique because it is the first time in history that justice has been seized to order a company to emit less CO2 by changing its policy,” Miliudfens said in a statement.

NGOs are therefore asking the Dutch courts to order Shell to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030, “according to the objectives agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement”.

The Anglo-Dutch multinational company currently plans to reduce the “net carbon footprint” of products sold to its customers by 30% by 2035 and by 65% ​​by 2050.

– “Historical occasion” –

Since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, which aims to curb the rise in temperatures below 2 degrees, many manufacturers have committed to reducing their CO2 emissions, for example, carbon neutrality by 2050, shale Promise of

Despite these commitments, the group spends only 3 to 5% of its investment in renewable energy, according to a report by the think tank IEEFA (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis) published in July.

“Large pollutants such as shale have a big responsibility to help fight climate change,” said Marit Maize, executive director of ActionAid Netherlands.

“We hope that the judges will take advantage of this historic opportunity to hold Shell accountable for its actions and ensure that the group reduces its emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement,” he said in a statement.

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 is setting a precedent for its action, according to Miliudefancy.

The Netherlands, particularly sensitive to the consequences of climate change as part of the country, is below sea level, has resolved to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 79% by 2030.