Italian Citizens and Organizations Band Together to Sue ENI for Violating Human Rights and Contributing to Climate Change

Italian citizens and organizations file a lawsuit against fossil fuel company ENI for its alleged contribution to climate change, resulting in past and future damages that violate human rights. The lawsuit also implicates ENI‘s main shareholders, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti S.p.A, as the parties who influenced the decision of the company concerning environmental policies. The plaintiffs claim that ENI has ignored the Paris Agreement, which has implications for ENI‘s climate action commitments. The legal action against ENI is the first initiative of its kind against a private company in Italy, with 12 plaintiffs from Italian regions affected by climate change impacts, including coastal erosion, drought, and melting glaciers.

According to Greenpeace Italy, ENI is aware of the consequences of their actions that contribute to the climate crisis, yet they continue with their investments and expansion of fossil fuels. ENI‘s policies, according to the plaintiffs, violate human rights to life, health, and private and family life. Therefore, the plaintiffs demand that ENI revise its industrial strategy to reduce emissions by at least 45% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels, in accordance with the international scientific community’s recommendations to maintain the Paris Agreement’s average global temperature increase of below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The lawsuit also demands that the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance adopt an ambitious climate policy to guide its participation in the company, in line with the Paris Agreement. The legal action of the plaintiffs is crucial since fossil fuel companies like ENI are responsible for at least two-thirds of the global greenhouse gas emissions for the past thirty years, according to a report from the Carbon Majors Database.

The legal action against ENI is a part of the global trend of climate litigation that has more than doubled since 2015, with more than 2,000 cases filed by individuals and non-governmental organizations that assert the rights of people affected by the climate crisis. In May 2021, the Dutch court ruled that Shell is responsible for damaging the Planet’s climate by requiring the company to reduce its carbon emissions. The ruling was appealed by Shell, while in 2022, the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled that the Paris Agreement is a human rights treaty that supersedes other laws.

Therefore, the legal action against ENI is essential since it could hold other fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in climate change, while also affirming the rights of people impacted by the climate crisis. It also signifies the growing public concern regarding the government’s climate action policies and private companies influencing them. The legal action by the plaintiffs could challenge the global energy system, calling for the adoption of an energy system that is sustainable, equitable, and resilient to protect the Planet and humankind’s rights for the present and future generations.

In conclusion, the legal action against ENI adds momentum to the global trend of climate litigation and calls for the protection of the Paris Agreement’s commitments to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change. The legal action of the plaintiffs also reaffirms human rights and the importance of holding private companies accountable for their contribution to the climate crisis. Moreover, the lawsuit calls for the adoption of a sustainable, equitable, and resilient energy system for the present and future generations to protect their rights and our Planet.

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