Greenpeace and an environmental coalition including 12 Italian citizens have sued the Italian energy company ENI, accusing it of knowingly contributing to climate change.
The complaint names ENI as well as its two major shareholders, the Italian Ministry of Economy and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, an Italian state lender and public investment bank. It is looking for past and future damage as a result of “climate change to which Eni has contributed significantly with its conduct in recent decades, despite being aware of it”, according to a statement by Greenpeace Italy.
In a statement, Eni said it would prove in court the “unfoundedness” of the lawsuit and the “correctness” of its decarbonization strategy, which it said balances sustainability, energy security and competitiveness.
ENI also said it will consider taking legal action of its own against one of the plaintiffs, ReCommon, for alleged defamation.
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Greenpeace and an environmental coalition including 12 Italian citizens have sued the Italian energy company ENI over climate change. (Fox News)
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Numerous lawsuits have been filed in recent years by government and other entities against oil companies, often claiming they have misled people about climate change and seeking to force them to help pay for the damages caused by climate change and the costs of adapting to it.
The Italian litigation, initiated by Greenpeace Italy, the ReCommon group and 12 Italians who say they have already been affected by rising temperatures, asks the Rome court to find that ENI has violated the human rights of Italians to life, health and to undisturbed family life pursuing an industrial policy that violated Italy’s international commitments.
The plaintiffs also ask the court to oblige ENI to modify its industrial strategy to reduce emissions by at least 45% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels to keep the increase in global average temperature within 1.5 degrees Celsius, as required by the Paris Climate Agreement.
