But as world leaders gather for the UN’s Cop29 climate summit, the Dutch court of appeal annulled the previous verdict, ruling that – despite Shell having a responsibility to cut emissions – it was unable to determine a fitting reduction target for oil and gas companies, based on the available science and data.

Oil giant Shell emerged victorious Tuesday from a Dutch court where it was appealing a ruling ordering it to slash its global carbon emissions by 45% by the end of the decade in line with the Paris climate agreement.

Shell is not obliged to dramatically reduce its planet-heating pollution by 2030, a Dutch appeals court ruled Tuesday, overturning a previous verdict that imposed steep carbon emissions reductions on the British oil and gas giant.

The energy giant said a Dutch court ruled in favor of an appeal against a landmark 2021 decision that said it should cut its carbon emissions.