A local Hague court has ordered the Dutch oil giant Shell to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in what is believed to be the first time that a company has been compelled by judges to reduce its emissions in line with the 2016 Paris climate agreement.

In its judgment, the Hague District Court held that the Netherlands' civil code compels Shell to uphold an "unwritten standard of care" vis-à-vis residents of the Netherlands. The court ruled that this standard of care—which it interpreted based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights—obliges Shell "to reduce the CO2 emissions of the Shell group's activities by net 45% [by the end of] 2030 relative to 2019 through the Shell group's corporate policy."