Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Belgian Farmer’s Climate Lawsuit Against TotalEnergies Opens in Tournai

The case tests corporate liability for climate damages in Belgian courts.

Haystacks pile up outside a court house as French oil giant TotalEnergies is on trial, accused by Belgian farmer Hugues Falys and three environmental groups of bearing responsibility for climate change, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 in Tournai, Belgium. (AP Photo/Sylvain Plazy)
Belgian farmer Hugues Falys , center left, sits in a courtroom as French oil giant TotalEnergies is on trial, accused by Falys and three environmental groups of bearing responsibility for climate change, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 in Tournai, Belgium. (AP Photo/Mark Carlson)
Belgian farmer Hugues Falys stands outside a court house as French oil giant TotalEnergies is on trial, accused by Falys and three environmental groups of bearing responsibility for climate change, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 in Tournai, Belgium. (AP Photo/Sylvain Plazy)
Haystacks pile up outside a court house as French oil giant TotalEnergies is on trial, accused by Belgian farmer Hugues Falys and three environmental groups of bearing responsibility for climate change, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 in Tournai, Belgium. (AP Photo/Sylvain Plazy)

Overview

  • Hearings began Wednesday at the Tournai commercial court in a suit by farmer Hugues Falys seeking to hold TotalEnergies responsible for climate-related harm to his farm.
  • Falys seeks financial compensation for losses tied to four extreme-weather events from 2016 to 2020 and asks the court to order curbs on new fossil-fuel projects or production.
  • Greenpeace and Belgium’s human rights league back the case, arguing the company bears significant responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions.
  • TotalEnergies disputes the claims and says no direct causal link or fault connects its lawful activities to the alleged damages.
  • The proceedings are scheduled through mid-December, with any ruling expected no earlier than early 2026, in a landscape where numerous climate suits have yet to yield company-paid damages.