TotalEnergies Faces Climate Duty Court Battle

A French court is set to rule on whether TotalEnergies fulfilled its legal obligations regarding environmental risks in a significant climate change lawsuit. The case, brought by environmental groups and supported by the city of Paris, centers on the interpretation of France's 2017 corporate duty of vigilance law.

Plaintiffs seek a halt to new fossil fuel projects and substantial production cuts, targeting a 37 percent reduction in oil and a 25 percent reduction in gas by 2030. TotalEnergies' defense contends that the vigilance law does not encompass global warming risks, focusing solely on direct operational impacts and those of its contractors.

This legal challenge is part of a global trend of climate litigation against major corporations. The NGOs argue that the law's scope for preventing environmental risks inherently includes climate change. The Paris public prosecutor has taken an unusual stance, echoing TotalEnergies' concerns about the practicality of such broad obligations.

TotalEnergies disputes accusations of ignoring indirect emissions from end-users, which were 342 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2024. The company asserts that any production changes would merely shift output elsewhere, deeming the requested measures unreasonable. The case, initiated in 2020, has seen partial successes for campaigners, though some international parties were dismissed.