Backed by environmental groups including Greenpeace, Hugues Falys from Belgium's western Hainaut province is hoping the case will prove a turning point in the transition towards a greener future.

"We've been waiting and planning for this day for a long time coming," Falys told AFP as the case began in a commercial court in Tournai, a Belgian city near the French border.

"Our arguments are solid and TotalEnergies's arguments are flimsy," said the farmer, who was greeted by dozens of campaigners brandishing banners and signs reading "Stop climate criminals".

Falys is the first person to bring a climate case against a multinational company in Belgium.

The farmer, who also serves as spokesman for an agricultural union, argues that four extreme weather events linked to global warming between 2016 and 2020 harmed his business.

First, a storm destroyed his strawberry and potato crops. Then three periods of drought hurt fodder production, affecting cattle.

"We had to reduce our livestock, which had consequences in terms of income," he told AFP in an interview ahead of the trial, explaining that he engaged in sustainable farming and feed autonomy -- the practice of producing rather than buying food for livestock.

Falys and his backers are seeking recognition of damages suffered by the farmer.

But they also want much broader action from TotalEnergies, the lawsuit calling on the company to stop investing in new fossil-fuel projects.

TotalEnergies is disputing the accusations.

"We think turning the climate debate into a court battle does not meet the moment," Sebastien Champagne, a lawyer for the oil giant, told AFP.

"This is a collective challenge, and a challenge that deserves better."

- 'No fault' -

Belgium's human rights league (LDH) said TotalEnergies was targeted as the "leading refiner and distributor" in the country, where eight out of 10 farmers "face serious challenges linked to climate change".

The company's responsibility for planet warming emissions was "major and undeniable", said LDH's Celine Romainville.

TotalEnergies has dismissed the lawsuit as baseless, arguing it seeks to pin blame on a single firm for "the way in which the European and global energy system has been built over more than a century".

"TotalEnergies will demonstrate that no fault or direct causal link can be established between its activities -- carried out in accordance with the regulations in force -- and the alleged damages," a company spokesperson told AFP.

TotalEnergies, along with other oil giants, is a frequent target of climate and human rights activists.

The group has faced litigation over a number of initiatives including the controversial Tilenga drilling project in Uganda and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) running from Uganda to the coast in Tanzania.

Last month, a Paris court ruled the French company had engaged in "misleading commercial practices" by overstating its climate pledges.

The Tournai case is scheduled to last for a month with the verdict not expected before early next year.

mad-ub-ec/del/jxb

TotalEnergies