Australian airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia are under scrutiny for their environmental practices following a precedent-setting Dutch court ruling that found KLM guilty of making misleading green claims. This development was highlighted by the Australia-based advocacy group, Climate Integrity, which pointed out the potential for Australian carriers to face similar accusations regarding their climate change initiatives and carbon offsetting during flight bookings. The group emphasized the necessity for concrete and credible decarbonisation strategies amidst criticisms of the airlines’ reliance on offsets rather than direct emission reductions.

Claire Snyder, Climate Integrity’s director, critiqued Qantas for its lack of a detailed plan to achieve emission reduction goals, despite its support for the Paris Agreement. Both Qantas and Virgin Australia’s heavy dependence on carbon offsets, rather than tangible measures to phase out fossil fuels, has brought the sincerity of their decarbonisation efforts into question.

The concerns over the transparency of green claims by Australian airlines coincide with a legal battle faced by Shell in the Netherlands. The energy giant is contesting a landmark court ruling that mandates a 45% reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Initiated by the climate action group Milieudefensie, the case against Shell is part of a broader movement challenging major corporations’ environmental impact. With climate-related disasters highlighting the urgent need for action, the court’s decision on Shell’s appeal may set a significant precedent for the accountability of polluting companies worldwide.