Three NGOs and eight individuals, including one Belgian teenager, are taking legal action against French oil giant TotalEnergies for its role in causing "climate chaos". The file was officially lodged in Paris on Tuesday morning.
Led by NGOs Bloom, Santé Planétaire and Nuestro Futuro, each of the eight individuals has been directly affected by climate change and wishes to hold large companies such as TotalEnergies to account for environmental damage. The group has accused the oil company of deliberately endangering the lives of others, of involuntary manslaughter, of neglecting to address a disaster, and of damage to biodiversity.
"TotalEnergies is a major oil company based in France and is therefore subject to French law," the complainants state. "Bringing TotalEnergies to justice in France sends a clear message to its managers and shareholders: they will have to answer for their criminal acts before the courts."
The complaint submitted to the Paris Judicial Court on Tuesday morning seeks an investigation into the outlined crimes, eventually leading to a trial in the Criminal Court. The action targets the Board of Directors, CEO Patrick Pouyanné and several major shareholders including BlackRock and Norges Bank. The latter group reportedly "voted in favour of strategies" that go against the plan to limit global warming to 2°C.
'My life will forever be different'
The eight individuals at the heart of the case come from Belgium, France, Pakistan, Greece, Zimbabwe, Australia and the Philippines. 17-year-old Benjamin lives in Dworp (Flemish Brabant) and was attending a summer camp in July 2021 when severe flooding affected several regions in Europe. He was caught in sudden rising water levels with his 15-year-old friend Rosa, who was swept away and killed. Her body was found three days later.
"The days, weeks, and months after Rosa's death were hell for me," says Benjamin. "The floods that killed Rosa and 220 other people were not a natural event. Climate scientists agree that the extreme precipitation that caused them was made up to 20% more intense and nine times more likely because of human-induced climate change."
Translation: Ben, William and Hilda are victims of climate change. Credit: Instagram
Bloom, Santé Planétaire and Nuestro Futuro describe the case as an "unprecedented" attempt to hold large companies accountable for worsening climate disasters such as those experienced by Benjamin.
In addition to persecuting TotalEnergies for damage already inflicted upon the environment, the case seeks to put an end to fossil fuel extraction to prevent a "globocide": the irreversible disruption of the entire earth system.
The complainants warn that the number of reported weather-related disasters has multiplied by five over the past 50 years and these occurrences are increasingly "unnatural" according to scientists: 80% of climate change is due to fossil fuels.
