Paris Court Rules TotalEnergies Not Required to Stop Oil Projects Under Duty of Vigilance Law

A French court ruled that TotalEnergies does not have to halt new oil and gas projects under the country's duty of vigilance law. The Paris Judicial Court rejected claims from associations and the City of Paris that sought to force the company to reduce production. The court stated the law is not meant to hold companies responsible for all climate change risks from human activity since the industrial revolution. TotalEnergies noted the court acknowledged its existing vigilance plan includes climate risks and targets for reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions. The company reported a 28% cut in operational greenhouse gas emissions since 2015 and a 65% reduction in methane emissions since 2020. However, the court requested that TotalEnergies also include customer emissions, known as Scope 3, in its plan. TotalEnergies said it will update its vigilance plan using its sustainability report. The company targets a 25% reduction in the carbon intensity of products sold by 2030 compared to 2015. It pointed out that customer emissions depend on choices like buying electric vehicles or using biofuels. The case shows the limits of using corporate duty laws to force emissions cuts from major oil producers.