Total Risk: TotalEnergies' Global Oil and Gas Expansion

Total Risk
Sonja Meister, Bianca Bhattacharja, Moritz Leiner

Briefing, 2026
Herausgeber: Urgewald

TotalEnergies is one of the most aggressively expanding oil and gas companies in the world. Among publicly listed companies that develop new oil and gas fields, the group ranks second globally. Compared to other oil and gas majors, TotalEnergies has by far the largest Short-Term Expansion plans in authoritarian states and high business risk countries. The oil and gas company’s business model tolerates significant geopolitical risks, particularly in the liquefied natural gas sector, and endangers the climate, human rights, and ecosystems. TotalEnergies is abandoning its 1.5-degree-aligned net zero target.