City of Paris achieves partial victory over TotalEnergies in climate risks case

Paris is experiencing firsthand the effects of global warming as France experiences record temperatures. Photograph: Apaydin Alain/Abaca/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Paris is experiencing firsthand the effects of global warming as France experiences record temperatures. Photograph: Apaydin Alain/Abaca/Shutterstock City of Paris achieves partial victory over TotalEnergies in climate risks case French capital hails ‘landmark decision’ against oil firm relating to disclosure of emissions from oil and gas products A Paris court has ​ruled that French oil major TotalEnergies must disclose the climate risks linked to emissions from its oil and gas products, and set out plans to ⁠address them in a high-stakes case brought by NGOs and the city of Paris. The ruling on Thursday is a partial victory for climate change NGOs seeking to apply France’s 2017 corporate duty of vigilance law to climate change. However, the ⁠court stopped short of ordering specific measures such as limiting overseas exploration and production or setting binding ​emissions reduction targets. The case is the latest in a growing wave of climate litigation targeting major corporate emitters worldwide. The NGOs and TotalEnergies battled at the Paris judicial court over whether environmental risks fall within France’s corporate duty of vigilance law, which was enacted in 2017. “Climate-related risks and impacts to which the company may contribute through its activities fall within the scope of the law on the duty of vigilance for parent companies and ordering companies,” the court said. The city of Paris hailed the ruling as “a landmark decision in the history of French climate law”. “For the first time, a judge recognises that climate risks do indeed fall under the duty of vigilance owed by large corporations, and no fossil-fuel multinational can evade this responsibility,” deputy mayor Alice Timsit said. “The city joined this lawsuit because we are experiencing firsthand the impact of climate change on a densely populated, urban metropolis,” Timsit said as France and other European countries bake under a record-breaking heatwave. Company lawyers had argued during February hearings that the law did not cover global warming. But the four NGOs that took TotalEnergies to court said the law’s reference to prevention of environmental risks encompasses both local pollution and climate change. The claimants specifically accused TotalEnergies of refusing to account for indirect emissions from end users, which they said amounted to 342m tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2024. TotalEnergies argued that the law applied only to the company’s own operations and those of its contractors, not to customer activity. The court, however, said the company’s vigilance plan was “incomplete” and gave TotalEnergies six months to amend it to include such emissions from end-users, known as Scope 3. “Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions are among the emissions resulting from the group’s activities within the meani