The case cites a 2017 law that imposed a "duty of vigilance" on large companies, barring them from offloading responsibility onto subcontractors when industrial scandals occur, by requiring they identify and prevent any risks toward human rights as well as the environment throughout their production chain including overseas.

TotalEnergies and the plaintiffs are at odds over the reach of the definition of the environment -- whether it means risks on a local scale such as a river polluted by a factor or more broadly global warming.

The energy firm's lawyers argued global warming is beyond the scope of the law.

But lawyers representing four NGOs including nonprofit Sherpa told the court that "selling hydrocarbons to be burned creates an environmental risk".

"Is there really no link between global warming and the preservation of biodiversity or the prevention of air pollution?" they added.

The NGOs also accuse TotalEnergies of not including the "indirect emissions" produced by its end customers buying their products, which amount to 342 million tonnes of CO2.

The plaintiffs are demanding a cessation of new hydrocarbon projects, a 37 percent reduction in oil production and a 25 percent reduction in gas production by 2030.

"We will ask you to make a courageous, unprecedented decision, but one based on the law," the NGOs' lawyers argued.

TotalEnergies claimed it was the victim of "demonisation" by the plaintiffs.

"If the company, which accounts for less than 2 percent of global production, were to shut down, global warming would still continue," its lawyers said.

The trial is due to continue Friday, but a verdict is not expected for several months.

Lawsuits against major polluting companies have been on the rise as the consequences of climate change become more apparent.

At the end of 2024, Dutch courts rejected an appeal a case brought by climate advocacy groups who argued that oil giant Shell was not doing enough to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, overturning a landmark ruling handed down three years earlier.

max/ved/nth/giv/yad

TotalEnergies