Duty of care: TotalEnergies to be heard on 19 and 20/02/2026 for "an historic trial" (J. Ripoll)

"Faced with TotalEnergies' strategy and their relentless lobbying to prevent or weaken climate regulations, we hope to activate a form of judicial counter-power with this historic trial, in order to impose respect for the law in line with the objectives set by the Paris Agreement". This is what Justine Ripoll, head of campaigns at French NGO Notre Affaire à Tous, told News Tank on 15/01/2026.

She looks back at the legal proceedings launched in 2020 by several NGOs, including Notre Affaire à Tous, and French local authorities against TotalEnergies for failing in its duty of care. The hearing is due to take place on 19 and 20/02/2026 before the Paris Court, after numerous procedural debates initiated by the oil company.

According to Justine Ripoll, "The holding of this hearing marks a major victory, since the case will now be heard on its merits.

The aim of this first trial based on the concept of climate duty of care is to:
• "Force TotalEnergies to adopt a precise strategy, in line with the Paris Agreement, based on the "P1 trajectory", the most ambitious scenario modelled by IPCC…