On April 1, 2021, the Administrative Court of Marseille partially invalidated Total's permit to operate a biorefinery in France and directed the company to study the climate impacts of imported palm oil. NGO plaintiffs alleged that the Prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, in authorizing the continued operation of the refinery, failed to take into account the climate and other environmental impacts of palm oil production and use. The Court agreed that the decision authorizing the operation of the plant relied on insufficient information on climate impacts, and ordered a new study on the cumulative direct and indirect climate effects of the biorefinery project.
Whether a permit to operate a biorefinery must take into account climate impacts of palm oil production and use.