A Belgian farmer is taking on one of the world's largest oil companies after suffering devastating losses and is hoping his case will mark a turning point in climate accountability.
As detailed by Politico, Hugues Falys is seeking reparations from TotalEnergies for damages caused by climate-fueled extreme weather events, which decimated his crops in 2016.
Heat waves and droughts also increased operating costs in 2018, 2020, and 2022 after reduced yields made it impossible for him to feed his livestock without purchasing feed from elsewhere.
Falys' attorneys say that the French oil giant continued to push fossil fuels even after it became aware of their adverse effects on the planet and cultivated doubt in scientific evidence establishing a connection between fossil fuel pollution, a changing climate, and its effects, including increasingly unpredictable and powerful weather patterns.
TotalEnergies also allegedly misled customers about the eco-friendliness of its operations — a tactic referred to as greenwashing — while lobbying against efforts to combat rising global temperatures and transition to cleaner energy sources. Similar arguments have surfaced before.
Several years ago, for instance, internal documents from ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, the American Petroleum Institute, and the Chamber of Commerce obtained via an investigation showed that oil and gas titans have been aware of their industry's negative impact on the planet for decades. However, the companies worked to seed doubt in research showing this link because it would affect their profits.
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Falys' fight against TotalEnergies is just one example of a member of the public taking action to safeguard their livelihood and the future of all creatures who rely on Earth's resources. Farmers in Missouri are combating the use of toxic sludge for fertilizer, and village-led efforts in the Amazon rainforest are protecting rivers and forests from poachers and illegal loggers.
As for TotalEnergies, it has denied responsibility for Belgium's worsening droughts and storms. In a statement to Politico, it said it "makes no sense" to hold a single company responsible for the impact of hundreds of years of fossil fuel use and said that it has reduced the pollution it creates. TotalEnergies' website shows several investments in clean energy and restoration projects.
Most legal attempts to hold one company accountable have also stalled in court, according to the publication. Yet Falys remains hopeful his case will set a legal precedent to support legislative efforts to shift energy systems toward a more sustainable path.
"It's a historic day," he told onlookers outside the courtroom in Tournai, per Politico. "The courts could force multinationals to change their practices."
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