In a landmark case, a Dutch court ordered Royal Dutch Shell, the parent company of Shell Oil, to dramatically cut its greenhouse gas emissions in its decision of a case brought by international environmental groups, Reuters reports.

The ruling requires Shell to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 45% by 2030, five years earlier than Shell’s announced plans Judge Larisa Alwin stated from a courtroom in The Hague.  The ruling also shifts Shell’s benchmark from 2016 emissions levels to 2019 levels, further lowering the amount of planned emissions.

“The court orders Royal Dutch Shell, by means of its corporate policy, to reduce its C02 emissions by 45% by 2030 with respect to the level of 2019 for the Shell group and the suppliers and customers of the group,” Alwin said.

The court ruled that Shell’s emissions reduction plan were not concrete and had shifting goals.  Shell’s public plans called for reductions dependent on the proportion of energy the company was producing each year, versus a standard benchmark.

“The conclusion of the court is therefore that Shell is in danger of violating its obligation to reduce. And the court will therefore issue an order upon RDS,” the judge said.

The landmark lawsuit was filed in 2019 by seven environmental groups on behalf of the citizens of the Netherlands, claiming that Royal Dutch Shell was violating the citizens’ human rights by increasing the dangers caused by climate change.

The world’s top oil and gas producer, Shell had vowed to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, although it said that the court’s ruling will not make a major impact on worldwide dependence on fossil fuels.