TotalEnergies faces cutting back oil and gas production if NGOs prevail in a trial that began recently over accusations the French energy giant failed to properly consider environmental risks.
The case, brought by several NGOs and the city of Paris, is based upon a 2017 law that imposed a ‘duty of vigilance’ on large companies.
The law seeks to counter companies offloading responsibility onto subcontractors by requiring them to identify and prevent any risks toward human rights as well as the environment throughout their production chain, including overseas.
TotalEnergies and the plaintiffs are at odds over the reach of the definition of the environment — whether it means risks on a local scale such as a polluted river or more broadly global warming.
The energy firm’s lawyers argued global warming is beyond the scope of the law.
But a lawyer representing four NGOs including nonprofit Sherpa told the court that ‘selling hydrocarbons to be burned creates an environmental risk’.
‘Is there really no link between global warming and the preservation of biodiversity or the prevention of air pollution?’ the lawyer stated.
