11.11.11-partner takes Shell to court over climate damage
November 06 2025
3 minutes
The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), partner of 11.11.11, is co-initiator of a groundbreaking complaint and lawsuit. Victims of the devastating Super Typhoon Odette (2021) are joining forces with PMCJ to sue oil company Shell for its role in the climate crisis.
According to the complaint, Shell's massive carbon emissions and fossil fuel investments directly contributed to the worsening of the disaster and thus to the loss of lives and infrastructure for countless Philippine fishing, farming, and island communities.
What is at stake?
On December 16, 2021, Super Typhoon Odette struck the Visayas and Mindanao regions of the Philippines. More than 400 people died, thousands were injured, and millions were affected. The victims joined forces and, together with several NGOs, compiled a comprehensive dossier, including scientific evidence that human-caused emissions more than doubled the risk of extreme weather events like this typhoon.
“In October 2025 we officially wrote to Shell," says Elle Bartolomé, spokesperson for PMCJ. "We announced that the company will be taken to court in December if it does not satisfactorily answer one crucial question: why did Shell fail to reduce its emissions, when its own research in the 60s already linked fossil fuels to climate risks?"
The role of PMCJ
PMCJ is a broad network of climate alliances at the national and provincial levels. Its members are close to the communities hardest hit—fishermen, farmers, and residents of small islands. Thanks to their efforts, this impressive initiative took shape.
It was a long process that reached a breakthrough in 2022 when the National Human Rights Commission, after a thorough investigation, concluded that companies like Shell are responsible for human rights violations. The commission stated that Shell, despite its knowledge of the risks, had not done everything possible to guarantee the right to a clean and livable environment.” Elle Bartolomé.
PMCJ's work often leads to abstract climate story a human face: families who lost their homes and incomes, coastal residents literally sinking due to rising sea levels or severe storm surges. They are no longer silent victims, but demanders of justice.
Why is this important for COP30, the climate summit in Brazil?
The timing of this lawsuit was not chosen by chance. The attention just before COP30 raises a fundamental question: will companies that have known their responsibility for decades finally stop investing in fossil fuels and opt decisively for renewable energy?
This case makes it clear that the bill for the climate crisis should not lie solely with governments, but also with the companies that caused it. This sharpens the focus of COP30: not only what we do in the future, but also who is responsible for the damage from the past.
For PMCJ and the affected communities, this is not a theoretical debate, but a struggle for livelihood security, habitat, and respect for human and environmental rights. They demand that polluter-pays principle is finally being implemented. Companies like Shell must acknowledge their responsibility and therefore compensate.
Better climate policy starts with solidarity
11.11.11 Calls for solidarity with its Philippine partner PMCJ and the affected communities. It is unacceptable that vulnerable people suffer from actions for which they are not responsible. It is high time that companies take their responsibility and that governments take decisive action.
The fight is now underway, from Europe to Asia. For Filipino communities, the climate crisis is a daily reality. Together with PMCJ, they are fighting for recognition, compensation, and change.
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