Shell’s boss has lashed out at a landmark climate change ruling from a Dutch court that he said felt like a ‘body blow’.
Ben van Beurden said it was ‘deeply troubling’ that the oil giant was being singled out for the way the world uses energy.
His comments in an interview on Shell’s website are likely to anger environmental campaigners, who claim Shell has fallen behind its competitors in the fight against climate change.
Shell chief exec Ben van Beurden said it was ‘deeply troubling’ that the oil giant was being singled out for the way the world uses energy
The ruling last year forced Shell to speed up how quickly it meets ambitious climate targets to reach net zero by 2050.
He said: ‘I was listening at home as the judge gave her verdict.
It felt like a body blow, I found it deeply troubling that Shell as a single business should be held accountable for how the world produces and uses energy.
That goes against everything I believe in when it comes to climate change, namely that this is a societal problem, not a problem for a single company to solve.’
The 63-year-old added: ‘When people attack Shell for not going fast enough that feels deeply personal.
‘But I cannot walk away from it or hide under my desk.’
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