TotalEnergies drops 2050 carbon neutrality goal over slow global transition

Friday 27 March 2026 - 11:00

By: Dakir Madiha

TotalEnergies drops 2050 carbon neutrality goal over slow global transition

TotalEnergies stated Thursday that the world will miss the 2050 carbon neutrality target set by the Paris Agreement, prompting the French energy giant to reassess its own climate goals. The announcement in its 2026 Sustainability & Climate Progress Report marks an official retreat from a pledge first made in 2020. The company cited a transition pace too slow for collective Paris Agreement achievement.

TotalEnergies said it cannot adopt a transition plan under European corporate sustainability reporting standards or set "Net Zero" targets as defined there. Its 2025 emissions totaled 368 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent, down from 376 million in 2024 and below its self-imposed 400 million ton cap through 2030. Scope 3 emissions from client fuel combustion dominated, while operational Scope 1 and 2 emissions fell to 33.1 million tons from 46 million in 2015; methane emissions dropped 65% since 2020.

This move aligns TotalEnergies with European peers tying climate ambitions to broader societal shifts. Shell CEO Wael Sawan noted in February that Shell cannot detach from global trends, after scenarios showed possible 25% higher energy use by 2050. BP, first major oil firm to pledge 2050 neutrality, has also cut renewable investments. Days earlier, TotalEnergies struck a deal with the Trump administration to scrap two 4-gigawatt U.S. offshore wind projects for nearly $1 billion, redirecting funds to oil and gas like the Rio Grande LNG terminal in Texas. A French court ruled last October that TotalEnergies misled consumers in a 2021 ad claiming 2050 neutrality.