Royal Dutch Shell has convincingly defeated a climate activist uprising after facing down one of its most bitter stand-offs with shareholders over its climate goals.

Around 94pc of shareholders voted down a special resolution calling for the oil giant to set and publish annual targets to reduce carbon emissions at its AGM in the Hague on Tuesday. The board also survived a vote on executive pay which was backed by 93pc of shareholders.

But anger over the group’s focus on fossil fuels dominated the meeting, underlining the mounting pressure facing oil majors to address public concern.

Shell boss Ben Van Beurden used much of his opening address to assure shareholders that it is taking action to reduce its carbon intensity.

“I thought I’d better address these issues upfront,” he said. Mr Van Beurden and Shell’s chairman Charles Holliday then went on to field a deluge of shareholder questions over the role the company will play in adhering to the Paris Climate agreement.

“I would like to stress that we get it. We understand what needs to happen. We understand the role we need to play,” Mr Van Beurden said.

Mr Holliday added that the board will be taking account of fresh forecasts which predict a boom in electric vehicles that threatens to throw oil demand projections into disarray and leave high-cost oil assets stranded.