Environmentalists sue Shell executives over 'deficient' climate plan

A ClientEarth filed a claim in the High Court of London “against Shell's board of directors for failing to manage the material and foreseeable risks that climate change posed to the company“, announced the non-governmental organization in a statement.

The NGO, which acts as a minority shareholder in the oil company, considers that the 11 members of the board of directors failed in their legal obligations by not adopting an energy transition strategy, in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Adopted by 196 countries at the end of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21), the objective of this international agreement is to limit the global warming less than 2ºC — preferably, up to 1,5ºC — in relation to pre-industrial levels.

What is the Paris Agreement? And why is it so important?

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty that has one main objective: to reduce global warming. In practice, it seeks to prevent a 2ºC increase in global temperature in relation to the pre-industrial era, encouraging the creation of mechanisms to reduce the impact of climate change and the replacement of sources that emit greenhouse gases. O Curto explains more about one of the most important climate commitments in existence, quick game. 🤓

According to ClientEarth, this is the first time that a company's board of directors has been denounced for its inability to prepare correctly for the energy transition.

“The transition to a low-carbon economy is not only inevitable, it is already underway. However, the board of directors persists in a fundamentally flawed strategy that threatens Shell's future success, said Paul Benson, attorney for the plaintiffs.

The group refuted the accusations, considering the action “baseless”. In this sense, it claims that its climate strategy “is aligned with the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement” and was approved by 80% of its shareholders.

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