It appears big oil companies are finally going to start facing some repercussions for the destruction and polluting of the planet. Oil giant Total is being sued by 14 French cities and 4 non-profit groups including Greenpeace in France for failing to comply with its “corporate duty of vigilance”.
Under France’s corporate duty of vigilance law, big companies are required to publish “vigilance plans” that identify risks to human rights, human health and safety of the environment.
Sandra Cossart, Director of NGO, Sherpa, left a comment:
Total is legally required to identify the risks that result from its contribution to global warming and to take the necessary measures to reduce its emissions.
Total is responsible for emitting 1% of the world’s greenhouse gases, which equates to 458 million tons or more than the entire country of France’s emissions.
The charges against Total include forcing the company to comply with the Paris Agreement’s objective to limit the average global temperature increase to a maximum of 1.5%.
This is not the only lawsuit against the Total, Uganda has taken action against the oil company for their plans to drill 419 oil wells near Uganda’s Lake Albert. Many of these wells will be in Murchison Falls national park.
France local government officials and NGO groups commented:
We’re filing a lawsuit against them because they’re still not making the energy transition necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. “Total has 1% of greenhouse gases worldwide — more than the carbon footprint of France. So, we think Total has a special responsibility towards this energy transition.
Est Ensemble’s president, Gérard Cosme; “Everyone must make this effort; otherwise, there is injustice!”
Mayor of Paris suburb Nanterre, Patrick Jarry; “Justice can be a tool in these battles”.
Benoit Faucheaux, Regional councilor of France’s central Val de Loire region; “We hope Total will change its business model, that it will shift from that situation where it produces energy and fossil energies [to] another model where they are involved in [the] energy transition”.
François de Cambiaire from the Paris law firm Seattle Advocates also left a comment; “The law on the duty of vigilance concerns Total in terms of the risks the company poses to foreign populations”.
This is something that I have been hoping would happen for a long time now. Big oil companies along with plastic polluters around the world have faced little to no repercussions for the negative effect they have on the planet or human health.
These lawsuits and the recent divestment campaign against fossil fuel companies by The British Medical Journal and newspaper The Guardian show that times are changing. These companies will understand that the world is no longer accepting of their polluting ways and they will be forced to comply.
