A landmark ruling on climate change and energy companies extensively cites the report 'Mapping of current practices around net zero targets' by Thomas Hale and Oxford Net Zero, published in May 2020.

A Dutch court ordered Royal Dutch Shell to drastically deepen planned greenhouse gas emission cuts. Reuters reported that the judge ordered Shell to reduce its planet warming carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels and said that the company's climate policy was "not concrete and is full of conditions". Shell said that it would appeal the court verdict and that it has set out its plan to become a net-zero emissions energy company by 2050.