Shell rejects calls for new scope three targets
Oil major pushes back on shareholder demands amid easing ESG pressures on industry
Shell has rejected calls from some shareholders to set a medium-term target for the reduction of absolute scope three emissions from the products it sells. The oil major’s current scope three targets focus on net carbon intensity rather than absolute emissions. “The board has considered setting a scope three absolute emissions target but has found it would be against the financial interests of our shareholders and would not help to mitigate global warming,” says the oil major’s chairman, Andrew Mackenzie, in a transition progress report released in mid-March. Shell says its carbon intensity targets are fully aligned with its 2050 net-zero goal. It achieved a 3.8pc reduction in scope-three ca
Also in this section
12 March 2026
Role of world’s largest carbon cap-and-trade market under scrutiny as war in Iran threatens to drive EU energy costs to unsustainable levels
10 March 2026
Europe urgently needs to bring more projects to FID, as CCS investors warn they might divert capital to faster-growing regions
9 January 2026
A shift in perspective is needed on the carbon challenge, the success of which will determine the speed and extent of emissions cuts and how industries adapt to the new environment
2 January 2026
This year may be a defining one for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in the US, despite the institutional uncertainty






