French court rules Total must revise climate plan to account for all emissions

She said the judges made clear that companies have climate obligations reflecting their impact on global emissions, and added that the ruling shows "lobbying to undermine legislation won’t have the impact corporations could expect." The ruling marks another legal victory for climate activists, after the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion last year finding that countries can be held responsible under international law for breaching their climate obligations, including . In May, the UN General Assembly backed the ruling and called on countries to comply with it. Log in here → Upgrade to keep reading For 15 years we’ve rigorously reported on the decisions shaping our climate. Upgrading to a paid subscription is how readers like you help keep this work going.  £40/quarter → Or £130/year — best value. ×Log in to your account Forgot your password? She said the judges made clear that companies have climate obligations reflecting their impact on global emissions, and added that the ruling shows "lobbying to undermine legislation won’t have the impact corporations could expect." The ruling marks another legal victory for climate activists, after the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion last year finding that countries can be held responsible under international law for breaching their climate obligations, including . In May, the UN General Assembly backed the ruling and called on countries to comply with it. Total's climate lawsuit As part of their claim, climate activists and local authorities wanted the court to force TotalEnergies to take stronger action aligning with the 1.5°C warming threshold in the Paris Agreement, including .  The lawsuit claim was ruled inadmissible in 2023, but this was overturned the following year. However no public bodies except the city of Paris were allowed to join. A court in Paris finally heard the claim on its merits in March. This is in line with domestic and international court rulings across the world in recent years.   TotalEnergies was given six months to update the plan. When you look at the sustainability plans of fossil fuel industries in Europe, they’re mostly scope 1 and 2; you can’t claim to have a sustainability plan if you’re only talking about 10% of your emissions.”  Influential ruling The Total decision has significant implications for other ongoing lawsuits.  The most important is that brought by a Belgian farmer who is bringing a climate damages claim against TotalEnergies. A decision on the merits was postponed until 9 September so that judges could outcome of the French ruling.  A separate duty of vigilance case against TotalEnergies in relation to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline in Uganda is still ongoing at the Paris Judicial Court, after a similar earlier claim was dismissed in 2023. The $4-billion project has been controversial due to its social and environmental impacts.