TotalEnergies faces appeals and court rulings in major climate litigation cases

The French oil major TotalEnergies has appealed the March 18 decision of the Tribunal de l’entreprise in Tournai, Belgium, which deemed the Farmer Case – brought by Belgian farmer Hugues Falys and NGOs FIAN, Greenpeace and the Ligue des droits humains – admissible. The appeal will be heard by the Court of Appeal in Mons, while the case continues in the Paris judicial tribunal.

In Paris, the Tribunal judiciaire is set to deliver its judgment on a separate climate‑law suit accusing TotalEnergies of breaching its 2017 duty‑of‑vigilance obligations. Plaintiffs, including four NGOs and the City of Paris, seek an end to new hydrocarbon projects and a reduction of oil output by 37% and gas by 25% by 2030. They argue that “selling hydrocarbons for them to be burnt creates an environmental risk.” TotalEnergies contends that its duty‑of‑vigilance does not extend to climate change and that reducing production would merely shift activity to other firms.