Shell says aims to hit carbon reduction goals regardless of others

LONDON (Reuters) - Shell aims to meet its goal to cut carbon emissions to net zero by the middle of the century regardless of progress by customers and broader society, its chief executive said on Thursday.

Shell previously said that it aims to become a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions business by 2050 "in step with society and our customers".

In a report published on Thursday on the company's carbon reduction performance last year, Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said that "from today, our target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 is no longer conditional on society's progress".

Shell said that its emissions from operations, known as Scope 1 and 2, had decreased by 18% between 2016 and 2021. It aims to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030.

The much larger category of Scope 3 emissions from the burning of fuels and products sold to customers, declined by 16% over the same period.

(The story corrects paragraph 4 to show Shell aims to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030, not 30%.)

(Reporting by Ron Bousso; editing by Barbara Lewis and David Evans)