While the appeals court in The Hague ruled that Shell is obliged to limit its CO2 emissions — in order to protect the planet from dangerous climate change — it said there is insufficient agreement in climate science on a specific reduction percentage that an individual company such as Shell should adhere to. As such, it dismissed a previous ruling that imposed steep carbon emissions reductions on the British oil and gas giant.
Friends of the Earth Netherlands, an environmental campaigning group that brought the case against Shell, expressed disappointment with the outcome.
"This hurts," said director Donald Pols. "At the same time, we see that this case has ensured that major polluters are not inviolable and has further fueled the debate about their responsibility in combating dangerous climate change. That is why we're going to continue to tackle big polluters, like Shell."
Tap the link in @cnn bio for more.
Bio-based materials are advancing rapidly within sustainable construction. Wood-fibre insulation, available as blown-in and rigid solutions, is demonstrating reliable performance across walls, roofs and floors, aligning renewable building materials with modern sustainable building design. It marks a shift from niche eco-friendly construction to mainstream specification, supporting low carbon design and reducing the carbon footprint of construction.
Industry governance is moving to embed whole life carbon assessment across the supply chain. The Future Homes Hub’s Embodied Carbon and Resource Efficiency Board is guiding developers on measuring embodied carbon in materials, applying life cycle thinking in construction and improving resource efficiency in construction. Focus is extending beyond operational energy to whole life carbon, life cycle cost and the environmental sustainability of construction processes. Builders are expected to quantify the environmental impact of construction through lifecycle assessment, circular economy principles and environmental product declarations (EPDs).
International policy frameworks are strengthening the same trajectory. The UN’s National Cooling Action Plan for the MENA region integrates energy-efficient buildings and sustainable building practices within low carbon building strategies. This links to net zero carbon buildings and net zero whole life carbon pathways that address both embodied and operational emissions. The approach underlines that eco-design for buildings and circular economy in construction are fundamental to achieving carbon footprint reduction.
Whole-life performance is now central to environmental sustainability in construction. Companies adopting low embodied carbon materials and sustainable material specification achieve both compliance and economic benefit through improved building lifecycle performance. Sustainable design, green building products and circular construction strategies are defining a carbon neutral construction future in which sustainable construction and green infrastructure converge as the default model for the global built environment.
Whole Life Carbon is a platform for the entire construction industry—both in the UK and internationally. We track the latest publications, debates, and events related to whole life guidance and sustainability. If you have any enquiries or opinions to share, please do
get in touch.
Let's chat!
WLC Assistant
Ask me about sustainability
Hi! I'm your Whole Life Carbon assistant. I can help you learn about sustainability, carbon assessment, and navigate our resources. How can I help you today?
