“The Farmer Case v. TotalEnergies: a first admissibility ruling that strengthens climate case law”, 18 March 2026

Just over two years after the launch of the Farmer Case, the Tournai Commercial Court in Tournai has ruled that the legal action against TotalEnergies regarding its climate liability is admissible, despite TotalEnergies’s repeated attempts to prove otherwise…

This is a major breakthrough: the courts have recognised that victims of climate change can bring a legal action in their own country…

On the merits of the case, the court has decided to postpone its ruling, therefore pausing its proceedings. It is awaiting the first-instance decision in the ongoing TotalEnergies climate trial in Paris, scheduled for 25 June 2026…

In March 2024, supported by three NGOs, the farmer Hugues Falys took TotalEnergies to court for its responsibility in the climate crisis. Several events – droughts and heat waves in particular – had a heavy impact on his farming activities. The Farmer Case is the first time a Belgian citizen has sued a multinational corporation for climate harms…

The court also recognised the parent company’s responsibility for the group’s energy strategy…