A Paris court has ruled that TotalEnergies must disclose the climate risks linked to emissions from its oil and gas products and set out plans to address them. The ruling follows a lawsuit brought by the city of Paris and a coalition of advocacy groups and NGOs who have sought since 2020 to force the energy giant to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
The decision represents a partial victory for climate change NGOs attempting to apply France's 2017 corporate duty of vigilance law to the climate crisis. As a result of the ruling, TotalEnergies must now include its clients' emissions in its due diligence plan, marking a significant step forward regarding the company's environmental vigilance requirements.
However, the court stopped short of imposing the more concrete measures demanded by the plaintiffs. The ruling does not order the company to limit its overseas exploration and production or set binding emissions reduction targets.