Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the\u00a0Milieudefensie\u00a0v.\u00a0Shell\u00a0case - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the\u00a0Milieudefensie\u00a0v.\u00a0Shell\u00a0case - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The authors of this paper examine the scientific evidence, particularly the application of IAMs to corporate emissions pathways, and provide guidance for litigators, experts, courts, and policy-makers as they navigate the evolving legal landscape of corporate climate responsibility.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T08:36:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/publication\\\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/publication\\\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\\\/\",\"name\":\"Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the\u00a0Milieudefensie\u00a0v.\u00a0Shell\u00a0case - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-01T08:28:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-16T08:36:36+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/publication\\\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/publication\\\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/publication\\\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Publications\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/?post_type=publication\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"All research\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/publication-type\\\/new-research\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Research article\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/publication-type\\\/research-articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the\u00a0Milieudefensie\u00a0v.\u00a0Shell\u00a0case\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/\",\"name\":\"Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment\",\"description\":\"The Grantham Research Institute at LSE carries out world-class research on climate change and the environment.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lse.ac.uk\\\/granthaminstitute\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the\u00a0Milieudefensie\u00a0v.\u00a0Shell\u00a0case - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the\u00a0Milieudefensie\u00a0v.\u00a0Shell\u00a0case - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment","og_description":"The authors of this paper examine the scientific evidence, particularly the application of IAMs to corporate emissions pathways, and provide guidance for litigators, experts, courts, and policy-makers as they navigate the evolving legal landscape of corporate climate responsibility.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/","og_site_name":"Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment","article_modified_time":"2026-01-16T08:36:36+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/","name":"Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the\u00a0Milieudefensie\u00a0v.\u00a0Shell\u00a0case - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-01-01T08:28:15+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-16T08:36:36+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Publications","item":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/?post_type=publication"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"All research","item":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication-type\/new-research\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Research article","item":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication-type\/research-articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the\u00a0Milieudefensie\u00a0v.\u00a0Shell\u00a0case"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/","name":"Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment","description":"The Grantham Research Institute at LSE carries out world-class research on climate change and the environment.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"}]}},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":["climate litigation","corporate accountability","Integrated Assessment Model","litigation","Netherlands"],"publication-type":["Research article"],"topic_area":["Climate science and impacts","Climate change laws and litigation"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication\/83009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/publication"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication\/83009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83010,"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication\/83009\/revisions\/83010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83009"},{"taxonomy":"publication-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication-type?post=83009"},{"taxonomy":"topic_area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic_area?post=83009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":83009,"date":"2026-01-01T08:28:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T08:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/?post_type=publication&p=83009"},"modified":"2026-01-16T08:36:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T08:36:36","slug":"translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/translating-climate-science-into-legal-standards-lessons-from-the-milieudefensie-v-shell-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the\u00a0Milieudefensie\u00a0v.\u00a0Shell\u00a0case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the world struggles to meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature goals, climate litigation has become a powerful tool. The case Milieudefensie<\/em> v. Shell<\/em> (“the Milieudefensie<\/em>case”) stands out not only for its ambitious claims and the initial landmark ruling by the Hague District Court, but also because its 2024 appeal judgment raises important questions about the future of corporate climate accountability. A central issue emerging from the ruling is that courts, despite having applied the results of integrated assessment models (IAMs) to governments, appear to struggle with applying them to individual companies. Understanding challenges in translating climate science into legal standards is critical for litigation but also for the broader development of regulatory norms and standards. By examining the scientific evidence, particularly the application of IAMs to corporate emissions pathways, we provide guidance for litigators, experts, courts, and policy-makers as they navigate the evolving legal landscape of corporate climate responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon Dietz et al.<\/em> ,Translating climate science into legal standards: Lessons from the Milieudefensie<\/em> v. Shell<\/em> case.Science<\/em>391,26-29(2026).DOI:10.1126\/science.adz4857

<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n