France, March 18 -- Hugues Falys, from Hainaut in western Belgium, took TotalEnergies to court on the grounds that the French group is Belgium's leading refiner and distributor of petroleum products.

Falys, who is supported by activist groups including Greenpeace and food rights organisation FIAN, says the firm can be held liable for global warming because of emissions generated when its products are burned - a claim rejected by TotalEnergies which accuses pressure groups of "instrumentalising the judiciary."

The lawsuit was filed in 2024 before the Tournai business court in western Belgium. Lawyers for both sides presented their cases during hearings between November 2025 and January 2026.

The court was due to give...