Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050, matching a commitment by rival BP as climate change looms large over the energy sector.
"Society's expectations have shifted quickly in the debate around climate change," its chief executive officer Ben van Beurden said in a statement. "Shell now needs to go further with our own ambitions, which is why we aim to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner. Society, and our customers, expect nothing less," he said.
The company said it planned to have net zero emissions from the manufacture of all its products by 2050 "at the latest."
It will also seek "to be in step with society's aim to limit the average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change."
Shell will look to reduce what it described as the "net carbon footprint" of its energy products by around 65 percent by 2050, and by 30 percent by 2035. It will also try and pivot towards serving businesses and sectors that also aim for net-zero emissions by 2050.
The pledge comes as the sector has been ravaged by collapsing oil prices.
In February, Shell's main British rival BP also declared its aim to achieve "net zero" carbon emissions by 2050 under new chief executive Bernard Looney but it faced criticism from environmental campaigners over the lack of detail on how it planned to hit the target.
