“I think that the next step is to start also litigating against financial institutions who make these emissions and fossil fuel projects possible,” said Roger Cox, lawyer for Milieudefensie, an environmental campaign group and the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth.

The Hague District Court on May. 26 ordered the Anglo-Dutch oil giant to reduce its global carbon emissions by 45% by the end of 2030, compared with 2019 levels.

While there is excitement about the potential of green hydrogen in some quarters, the sector also faces challenges.

In October, the CEO of Siemens Energy told CNBC there was “no commercial case” for it at this moment in time.

Norsk Hydro and fossil fuel giant Shell are to look into the potential of joint projects focused on green hydrogen production.