The Duty of Care of Individuals for ghg Emissions under Dutch Tort Law ; Has Shell Opened the Floodgates?

Abstract In 2021 the District Court of The Hague ordered Royal Dutch Shell to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% until 2030. The Court emphasised the relevance of each individual reduction to the fight against global warming, raising the question of whether also individuals have a duty of care to reduce their emissions. Applying the considerations of the Court to individuals, this contribution first argues that as human rights not only protect the victims of global warming but also individuals meeting their needs through emissions, individuals do not bear such a duty of care. However,... Mehr ...