For justice beyond
borders
While TotalEnergies claims to be “committed” to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, the measures taken by the multinational are still not in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
In January 2020, Sherpa and a coalition of NGOs and local authorities took TotalEnergies to court after having formally served notice to the company. Sherpa, Amnesty International France, France Nature Environnement, Notre Affaire à Tous, ZEA, les Eco Maires and 16 local authorities request the judge to order the oil company to take the necessary measures to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions consistently with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, in accordance with the Law on the Duty of Vigilance of March 27, 2017 and with the French Civil code provisions on ecological damage.
The law is a tool of power in a globalised world. It underpins power relations and encourages impunity for the most powerful. Because of their transnational nature, or the political and economic stakes involved, many violations escape justice. Bringing cases before the courts means putting the debate back on a legal footing, giving a voice to the people affected and thus restoring the legal tool to social movements.
Thanks to the work of NGOs and journalists, the consequences of globalisation are increasingly being documented and denounced. Our legal actions make it possible to initiate an contentious proceedings, establish the facts and apply the rules of law to these situations. They also aim to provide practical solutions by putting a stop to violations, holding the players concerned responsible and/or enabling victims to obtain compensation.
In support of our advocacy and in parallel with our legal laboratory and capacity-sharing activities, our legal actions are designed to contribute to wider and lasting change. They fuel public debate to highlight the limits of the legal framework and the obstacles facing the victims of globalised capitalism. They set precedents that shape a more protective legal framework.