Paris (AFP)

This is the first climate dispute against a French company: a collective of several cities and NGOs announced Tuesday that they have sued Total to ask it to "act in a preventive manner" against global warming.

This civil legal action before the court of Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), which already promises to be long, is based on the law of February 2017. This constrains French companies employing more than 5,000 employees to publish a plan to prevent environmental risks, detailed Me Sébastien Mabile at a press conference.

In March 2019, the oil giant, ranked among the 20 largest emitters of CO2 in the world, had published a vigilance plan, but the communities consider that the measures are "clearly insufficient" in view of the objectives set by the Paris agreement . This 2015 text aims to limit global warming below + 2 ° C and rather close to + 1.5 ° C, compared to the pre-industrial era.

The signatories are States and not companies, but the bearers of this appeal believe that French justice can take into account the objectives of the climate pact to examine the commitments and actions of Total.

In its vigilance plan, the oil and gas giant recognizes the "global risk for the planet" of climate change, details the greenhouse gas emissions linked to its activities and indicates the actions it implements. Total is notably developing its activities in energy efficiency, natural gas and even renewable energies.

But for NGOs and local authorities, this is not enough and the group must raise its climate ambitions.

"We are asking the judge to enter into the full analysis, point by point, of Total's prevention plan. Is it adapted? Is it up to the challenges?", Continued Mabile, adding that he opted for a summons to the merits and not in summary proceedings (urgent procedure, faster).

- "Three months of heat wave per year" -

Less than two months before the municipal elections, several local elected officials including the mayors of Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) and Arcueil (Val-de-Marne) also took the floor to "call Total to account", believing that they were " on the front line "in the fight against global warming.

"We are asking them for accounts but also positive and concrete actions for our populations and our territories," insisted Patrick Jarry, mayor of Nanterre.

"In Grenoble, the consequences of climate change are already visible: by 2050, the Grenoblois will suffer three months of heatwaves per year, and the snow will continue to disappear in winter. The glaciers are melting, the mountains are crumbling", denounced Eric Piolle, the outgoing environmental mayor of Grenoble.

Several representatives of the NGOs at the origin of the appeal, including Sherpa or France Nature Environment, joined the mayors' criticism, recalling that Total was "legally bound to assess the risks and take the necessary measures".

In June 2019, they put Total on notice to take the necessary measures to prevent the major risks linked to climate change.

For its part, the Total group claims to "regret" the approach taken by communities and associations "while solutions to meet both the need for energy accessible to all and the challenges of climate change require cooperation between different actors. "

In addition to the development of less polluting energies, the group highlights its investments in natural carbon sinks (forests ...) and in the CCUS (capture, storage and recovery of CO2) or its efforts to limit its leakage. methane, a very harmful gas for the climate.

In the United States, cities, counties and states have already filed complaints against oil groups to claim payment for damage or work made necessary by global warming.

The giant ExxonMobil was notably sued by the State of New York, which accused it of having misled investors on the financial impact of climate change. But the judge dismissed the state in December, saying it had not gathered enough evidence.

© 2020 AFP