Court cites climate change in blocking approval for Total and Shell project off South African coast

French company TotalEnergies said it is studying the South African court's ruling and will decide on its next steps.

A South African court has blocked the environmental approval for an offshore oil and gas exploration project, ruling in part that TotalEnergies had failed to consider the project’s full impact on climate change.

The environmental assessment must consider not only the impact of the exploration itself, but also the future damage caused by emissions from any fossil fuels found in the project, the Western Cape High Court ruled.

Environmentalists hailed the ruling as a victory for local communities and for future generations that could be affected by climate damage as a result of emissions from the project’s eventual production.

The French company TotalEnergies, which is deve