Clima, the giant ENI in the dock:“the just cause” has begun

The first hearing was held on the morning of February 16th climatic cause brought against the Italian fossil multinational ENI, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and Ministry of Economy and Finance.The accusations were made last May by 12 citizens and by the organizations Greenpeace Italia and ReCommon.The six-legged dog, in particular, was taken to court for "the damage caused and future damage resulting from climate change, to which he has contributed with his conduct in recent decades, continuing to invest in fossil fuels".The objective of the organizations is to force ENI to undergo a profound review of its industrial strategy with the aim of reducing emissions deriving from its activities. by at least 45% by 2030 and compared to 2020 levels.Furthermore, environmentalists demand that the Ministry of Economy and Finance "be obliged to adopt a climate policy that guides its participation in society in line with the Paris Agreement".The associations are confident that the scientific evidence, now overwhelming on the responsibility of fossil fuel companies in terms of the climate crisis, will help to win the dispute.Many climate litigation lawyers, among other things, say the documents associated with the ENI case demonstrate that the company had a clear understanding of the risks posed by burning its hydrocarbons half a century ago.

On the other hand, the energy giant has decided to make use of two consultants declared "independent experts" but who, according to the organizations, they wouldn't be at all.Carlo Stagnaro, current director of studies and research at the Bruno Leoni Institute, a liberal group, draws up the defense's technical opinions on the front line. known for climate change skepticism.The Institute, in particular, would have an intimate relationship with the US coalition Cooler Heads, which has worked to promote climate denial in the US and even played a role in Trump's decision to pull the country out of the Paris Agreement.Furthermore, in 2008 the institute helped organize the 'Global warm is not a crisis' event in New York.Not to mention that, in 2010, he received donations directly from the fossil giant Exxon and from ENI itself.But it doesn't end here.The other expert consulted by the Six-legged Dog is Stefano Consonni, full professor of energy and environmental systems with a profound professional connection with at least three major oil companies, including ENI itself.«For more than twenty years – the organizations explain – his name has appeared as a principal researcher or participant in studies financed, to name just a few cases, by ENI, Exxon Mobil Corporation and BP, the United Kingdom oil company».

Whatever line the defense will pursue, the accusations made by environmentalists appear well founded.Among the evidence of the company's negligence, for example, is a study commissioned by ENI itself, in 1969, to its ISVET research centre.From the report, made public only recently, it was clear that, if left unchecked, the increase in the use of fossil fuels could lead to to a climate crisis within a few decades.The organizations then chose to rely on a similar lawsuit filed and won in the Netherlands against the multinational oil company Royal Dutch Shell.The Anglo-Dutch company, as established by a court in The Hague, will have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% compared to 2019 levels by 2030.The judges in fact considered Shell's sustainability policy to be impractical and thus forced it to respect the Paris Climate Agreements.Overall, it should then be specified that those mentioned are anything but isolated cases.Globally, climate disputes are increasingly frequent.With over two thousand such cases initiated to date, the figure has more than doubled compared to 2015.

[by Simone Valeri]