Energy lawsuits pact seen threatening Paris climate deal by

(Reuters, 4 Oct 2021) Concerns are growing that a treaty originally intended to protect EU energy firms when the Soviet Union collapsed could undermine the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Fear of multi-billion-euro lawsuits from fossil fuel investors is putting the Paris agreement on climate change at risk, one of the deal's architects has warned.

Compensation claims from a pact that allows companies to sue countries over policies that affect their investments could amount to more than a trillion euros by 2050, according to one estimate.

The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) was originally drawn up to protect energy firms as the Soviet Union crumbled, but new analysis suggests it could allow coal plants in 54 signatory states to keep belching carbon dioxide for more than a decade.

"The integrity of the Paris agreement is critically undermined by the Energy Charter Treaty," said Laurence Tubiana, the French climate change ambassador during negotiations for the Paris agreement.

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Reuters, 4 Oct 2021: Energy lawsuits pact seen threatening Paris climate deal by