Les Amis de la Terre / Friends of the Earth France has been saying it loud and clear this past month: time to #StopTotal! In addition to suing TotalEnergies for greenwashing, they have also given the fossil fuel company a formal notice to stop its activities in Russia.
Stop financing the Russian war against Ukraine
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, most of the oil and gas majors have decided to withdraw from Russia: BP, Shell, Equinor, Exxon Mobil or ENI… but not TotalEnergies. Although the company – one of the 20 worst polluters in the world – announced it will not finance new hydrocarbon projects in Russia, it still refuses to reconsider its current projects and interests by withdrawing from the country. Let it be known that Total has crucial economic interests in Russia and maintains relationships with Novatek and Zarubezhneft, two Russian companies close to the Kremlin.
As it is clear that TotalEnergies want to preserve its interests in Russia no matter the cost, Les Amis de la Terre and Greenpeace gave the company a formal notice to cease as soon as possible any activity in the oil and gas sector likely to finance the war waged by Russia in Ukraine and to fuel the ongoing violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
As of now, Total’s decision not to withdraw from Russia goes against its corporate due diligence and can only be added to the long list of humanitarian crises which TotalEnergies fuels. Indeed, the company has repeatedly been involved in countries with armed conflicts or authoritarian regimes that attack human rights (Mozambique, Burma, Uganda, Yemen).
Stop greenwashing
TotalEnergies’ social and climate wrecking projects are not limited to Russia. Multiple oil and gas projects are currently being developed worldwide and have disastrous effects on the environment and on local populations. The Crude Oil Pipeline in Uganda and the Artic LNG 2 project are two of many examples.
Yet, last year Total became TotalEnergies and started an advertising campaign presenting the company as a major actor of the energy transition. This marketing campaign is of course a clear case of greenwashing and the lies it spreads aim at confusing consumers and citizens. The truth is that this operation only further endangers our future by delaying the energy transition that is deeply needed.
This is why les Amis de la Terre, with Greenpeace and Notre Affaire à Tous, is also suing Total for deceptive marketing practices. This is the first legal action in Europe against an oil and gas company regarding commitments to carbon neutrality.
Their demand is that the company stops its misleading communication campaign. TotalEnergies shouldn’t communicate about its commitments to carbon neutrality as long as its actions don’t align.
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Gas
Stopping climate breakdown means keeping all fossil fuels in the ground – including gas. Governments and banks must stop financing gas pipelines and terminals which would lock us into a fossil-fuel future.
