The Netherlands: People v Shell: from ‘corporate social responsibility’ to legal accountability – by Alejandro García Esteban and Jill McArdle

In a historic victory for climate justice, in late May a Dutch civil court held a corporation liable for the first time for its contribution to climate change. The ruling that the oil giant Shell must reduce its global carbon-dioxide emissions by 45 per cent from 2019 levels by 2030 is a game-changer for corporate accountability and our future on this planet.

The decision sets a precedent for litigation against slow-moving polluters. Not only has it opened new legal avenues for climate action. The judges clearly spelt out that companies have an individual responsibility to combat climate change, because of its severe impacts on human rights.

Read more at: People v Shell: from ‘corporate social responsibility’ to legal accountability – Alejandro García Esteban and Jill McArdle

The Netherlands: What the Dutch court carbon emissions ruling means for Shell

A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) to significantly deepen planned greenhouse gas emission cuts, in a landmark ruling that could pave the way for legal action against energy companies around the world. read more

Shell said it was "disappointed" by the ruling which it plans to appeal.

Here are some key points about the ruling:

WHAT WAS THE RULING? The district court ordered Shell to cut its absolute carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. Shell currently aims to reduce the carbon intensity of products it sells by 20% over the same period from a 2016 baseline.

DOES THE RULING AFFECT SHELL'S GLOBAL OPERATIONS? Yes. The reduction relates to Shell's global operations and is not limited to the Netherlands, the court ruling said. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR SHELL? The ruling said that "it is up to RDS (Royal Dutch Shell) to design the reduction obligation, taking account of its current obligations and other relevant circumstances." Shell earlier this year announced a strategy to become a net zero emissions company by 2050, meaning its absolute emissions will also be net zero at that point. It has stated that it believes its emissions peaked in 2018.[USN:L1N2KH0LV] ABSOLUTE TARGETS VS INTENSITY TARGETS? The court ordered Shell to reduce absolute emissions by 45%. Shell's short and medium-term targets are intensity based. Intensity-based targets measure the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy produced. That means that absolute emissions can rise with growing production, even if the headline intensity metric falls. At its annual general meeting this month, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden rejected setting absolute reduction targets, saying: "Reducing absolute emissions at this point in time is predominantly possible by shrinking the business."

HOW BIG ARE SHELL'S GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS? Shell, the world's largest oil and gas trader, produced 1.38 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2020, roughly 4.5% of global energy-related emissions that year, based on International Energy Agency figures. Shell's 2020 emissions were down from 1.65 billion tonnes the previous year, largely as a result of a fall in oil and gas demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read More at: Explainer: What the Dutch court carbon emissions ruling means for Shell | Reuters

The Netherlands: New government under pressure over dividend tax ' corporate blackmail' claims

Rutte:"Being good to corporations is good for Holland"

MPs have called on prime minister Mark Rutte to explain the new government’s decision to scrap the tax on dividends for a second time, amid mounting reports that Shell and Unilever put pressure on the coalition negotiators.

The move to scrap the tax, which will cost the treasury €1.4bn and only benefit foreign firms, was not included in any of the party manifestos and has been condemned by opposition parties.

Broadcaster NOS reported earlier on Thursday that it had been told Anglo Dutch firms Shell and Unilever and two other companies had urged the new coalition to scrap the tax. ‘There was a real threat that a couple of bigger Dutch firms would go to London,’

NOS correspondent Ron Fresen said. Shell and Unilever have headquarters in both the Netherlands and Britain and both have been considering their position in a post-Brexit economy. Shell said on Wednesday it welcomed the new government’s decision.

It has campaigned for the tax to be scrapped for at least 10 years. Unilever has said it will decide by the end of the year whether or not to keep its dual headquarter structure. The company has also said that it is pleased with all measures which strengthen the Netherlands’ position as an international business centre. Jobs

Prime minister Mark Rutte has said repeatedly that the measure is needed to keep jobs and to make sure the Netherlands remains an attractive location for foreign firms.

However, leading economists and the government’s own macro-economic think-tank CPB have also questioned the move. During Thursday’s debate, GroenLinks (Greens) popular  leader Jesse Klaver said the government had laid itself open to being ‘blackmailed’ by big companies.

Read more: New government under pressure over dividend tax 'blackmail' claims - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands: Shell to slash 2,000 Netherlands jobs - by Janene Pieters

Shell is cutting some 2 thousand jobs in the Netherlands. The oil company aims to get rid of 15 to 20 percent of the abut 10 thousand employees working in Amsterdam and Rijswijk as part of a cost cutting plan to cope with the low oil prices, AD reports.

The company launched a voluntary departure scheme. Office staff with a salary of 75 thousand euros per year or higher can resign voluntarily for compensation. Employees can register for voluntary departure until July 1st.

According to union FNV, Shell is hoping to avoid an official reorganization with the voluntary departure scheme. “Shell first wants to see whether enough employees volunteer”, director Egbert Schellenberg said to the newspaper.

Employees working at the Pernis refinery and the petrochemical complex in Moerdijk do not qualify for the voluntary departure scheme as those two branches already face staff shortages.

Read more: Shell to slash 2,000 Netherlands jobs - NL Times

The Netherlands: Dutch courts to judge Shell in landmark oil spill case - by Jan Hennop

A Dutch appeals court ruled Friday that four Nigerian farmers may take their case against oil giant Shell to a judge in the Netherlands, in a landmark ruling involving multinational corporate governance.

"The Dutch courts and this court consider it has jurisdiction in the case against Shell and its subsidiary in Nigeria," Judge Hans van der Klooster said at the appeals court in The Hague.

The four farmers and fishermen, backed by the Dutch branch of environmental group Friends of the Earth, first filed the case in 2008 against the Anglo-Dutch company in a court case thousands of kilometres (miles) from their homes.

They want Shell to clean up devastating oil spills in four heavily-polluted villages in the west African country's oil-rich Niger Delta, prevent further spills and pay compensation.

Read more: Dutch courts to judge Shell in landmark oil spill case - Yahoo New

Oil Giant Shell Dumps ALEC Over Climate-Change Position - by Ben Geman

Royal Dutch Shell said Friday that it's severing ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council, a coalition of companies and conservative state lawmakers, over differences on climate change.

"ALEC advocates for specific economic growth initiatives, but its stance on climate change is clearly inconsistent with our own.

We have long recognized both the importance of the climate challenge and the critical role energy has in determining quality of life for people across the world," Shell said in a statement.

Shell, which has faced pressure to dump ALEC from groups including the Union of Concerned Scientists and Common Cause, said it would let its association with ALEC lapse when "the current contracted term ends early next year."

It's the latest major corporation to bolt ALEC, which is under pressure from liberal activists over its stance on global warming and attacks on state green-energy standards, among other issues. Over the last year, a number of major corporations including Google, Facebook, BP, and Occidental Petroleum have abandoned the group.

Read more: Oil Giant Shell Dumps ALEC Over Climate-Change Position - NationalJournal.com