Carbon emission: Shell rejects calls to set fixed targets

Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell, Ben Van Beurden
Ben van Beurden

Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Officer, Ben van Beurden, said it would be “foolhardy” for the company to set hard targets to reduce carbon emissions as it risked exposing itself to legal challenges.

The energy industry has struggled in recent years to find a clear path to secure its role as the world shifts from fossil fuels in order to meet the 2015 Paris climate agreement goals.

van Beurden last year set out ambitions to halve its carbon emissions by 2050, far exceeding rivals. But the Dutch CEO resisted calls by activists and some investors to set binding targets.

“It would be somewhat foolhardy to put ourselves in a legal bind by saying these are the targets we will adopt,” van Beurden said at a company event.

“Before we put ourselves at the mercy of a legal challenge, I want to make sure we are doing the right thing first.”

Agency Report