The climate trial against Eni has begun:the first hearing of the case promoted by Greenpeace and ReCommon was held at the Rome court

The two environmental associations ask the company to review its industrial plan.Eni:«Totally unfounded accusations»

The first climate litigation brought in Italy against Eni began today, Friday 16 February.The first hearing of the case took place at the Rome court cause undertaken by Greenpeace and ReCommon against the Italian energy and fossil fuel giant.The two environmental associations ask judge Corrado Cartoni to recognize Eni's historical climate responsibilities and force the company to review its industrial plan to make it consistent with the commitments made at international level.Since this is a civil trial, nothing more than a simple exchange of written notes happened at today's first hearing.Now the judge will have thirty days to decide whether or not to open the investigation, i.e. that phase of the trial in which witnesses are listened to and information and data that may be useful are collected.If the elements presented so far by the parties in question were to be considered sufficient, we would jump directly to the final hearing of the trial.«In this case, the sentence could arrive at the end of 2024.If, however, office consultancy is arranged, the time will be extended", explains a Open Alessandro Gariglio, Greenpeace lawyer.

The defense briefs

To defend its position, Eni relied on two experts:Carlo Stagnaro, director of studies of the liberal think tank Istituto Bruno Leoni, and Stefano Consonni, full professor of the Energy department of the Polytechnic of Milan.Greenpeace and ReCommon instead focus on the objective demonstration of the responsibility of the "Six-legged Dog" in terms of impact on the climate.In research published in recent months, the two associations have dug out some publications produced by Eni in the seventies and eighties in which the company, at the time entirely under state control, warned of the possible devastating impacts deriving from the combustion of fossil fuels.

The accusations of greenwashing

According to Greenpeace and ReCommon, Eni has long been aware of the negative effects of the activities in which it invests but to date it is not doing enough to limit its impact on the environment and climate.To be honest, the two environmental associations are not the only ones to point the finger at the responsibilities of the Italian energy giant.The last one reports of Oil Change International highlights how in 2022 Eni invested 15 times more in the fossil fuel business than it invested in Plenitude, the company branch that deals with renewables.Greenpeace and ReCommon are therefore asking that the company be forced to review its industrial strategy to comply with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, i.e. to reduce emissions by at least 45% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.The same request is also extended to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and to Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, both shareholders of Eni.

Eni's defense:«Unfounded accusations»

The company led by Claudio Descalzi rejects all the accusations and says it is ready to demonstrate in court "the total groundlessness of the accusations made by Greenpeace and ReCommon, both from a legal and substantive point of view", Eni announced at the end of the hearing of today.Already last year, when the two associations filed the summons, Eni had defended «the correctness of its actions and its transformation and decarbonization strategy, which brings together and balances the essential objectives of sustainability, safety energy and competitiveness of the country".

Climate disputes

The civil trial that began today in Rome is only the latest example of "climate litigation", i.e. a lawsuit brought by a group of citizens or associations who ask to force a private company or public body to comply with certain standards regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.In December 2022, according to a United Nations report, climate disputes in the world exceeded 2 thousand.Some were successful, others ended in nothing.In Italy, the first case of climate litigation took the name of "universal judgment" and began in 2021, when a group of 200 citizens and associations promoted a lawsuit against the State, accused of not doing enough to combat the climate crisis .

Profits to decline in 2023

The first hearing of the climate dispute promoted by Greenpeace and ReCommon against Eni arrives on the same day in which the company announced its 2023 economic and financial results.The six-legged dog closed last year with a net profit of 4.7 billion euros, down 66% compared to 2022.Net profit adjusted instead it fell by 38% to 8.2 billion.The results for 2023 presented by Eni were not liked by shareholders, with the stock closing the day on Piazza Affari down 2.8%.However, CEO Claudio Descalzi said he was satisfied:«2023 was another year of excellent results for Eni, despite an uncertain and volatile scenario.We have achieved excellent financial and operational results, progressing in our strategy of creating value, decarbonisation and simultaneously guaranteeing the stability and reliability of energy supplies."

Cover photo:ANSA | A banner hung by Greenpeace outside the Eni headquarters in Rome (5 December 2023)