San Francisco Frontiers - Belgian climate case pits farmer against TotalEnergies

Backed by environmental groups including Greenpeace, Hugues Falys, from Belgium's western Hainaut province is hoping the case will prove a turning point in the transition towards a greener future.

"We have a lot of arguments to make the courts force to twist TotalEnergies' arm," Falys told AFP in an interview.

Filed in a commercial court in the city of Tournai, the lawsuit marks Belgium's first climate case brought against a multinational company by a citizen.

TotalEnergies is disputing the accusations.

Falys, who also serves as spokesman for an agricultural union, contends his business suffered from four extreme weather events linked to global warming between 2016 and 2020.

First a storm destroyed his strawberry and potato crops. Then three periods of drought hurt fodder production, affecting cattle in turn.

"We had to reduce our livestock, which had consequences in terms of income," he said, explaining he engages in sustainable farming and feed autonomy -- the practice of producing rather than buying food for livestock.

Falys and his backers are seeking recognition of damages suffered by the farmer, but also much broader action from TotalEnergies towards countering climate change.

The lawsuit notably calls on TotalEnergies to stop investing in new fossil-fuel projects.

- 'No fault' -

Belgium's human rights league (LDH) said TotalEnergies was targeted as the "leading refiner and distributor" in the country, where eight out of 10 farmers "face serious challenges linked to climate change".

The company's responsibility for planet warming emissions was "major and undeniable", said LDH's Celine Romainville.

TotalEnergies has dismissed the lawsuit as baseless, arguing it seeks to pin blame on a single firm for "the way in which the European and global energy system has been built over more than a century".

"TotalEnergies will demonstrate that no fault or direct causal link can be established between its activities -- carried out in accordance with the regulations in force – and the alleged damages," a spokesperson for the company told AFP.

TotalEnergies, along with other oil giants, is a frequent target of climate and human rights activists.

The group has faced litigation over a number of initiatives including the controversial Tilenga drilling project in Uganda and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) running from Uganda to the coast in Tanzania.

Last month, a Paris court ruled the French company had engaged in "misleading commercial practices" by overstating its climate pledges.

The Tournai case is scheduled to last for a month.

A verdict is not expected before early next year.

S.Jackson--SFF