THE TIMES
Netherlands ruling links climate change, human rights — and corporations
There is debate over whether the arguments apply in this country, but the UK Supreme Court has recently been indulgent of novel negligence claims
A judge in The Netherlands ruled last year that Royal Dutch Shell owed Dutch residents a duty of care to reduce its carbon emissions — and the international energy company was ordered to reduce CO2 emissions by 45 per cent, relative to 2019 levels, by the end of 2030.
The ruling was significant not only because it was a successful climate change action brought by campaign groups and individuals against a corporation, but also because the court accepted the link between climate change and human rights in a corporate context.
