An alliance of 14 French local authorities and several NGOs will take unprecedented court action this week against the French oil firm Total to try to force the firm to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

It is the first climate change litigation against a private company in France. Campaigners want the court to ensure Total does more to curb its emissions.

Total is on the list of top 20 global fossil fuel companies whose joint exploitation of the world’s oil, gas and coal reserves can be directly linked to more than a third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the modern era, according to analysis last year.

The towns and local authorities that have brought the case range from Bayonne, in the south-west, to La Possession, on Réunion island in the Indian Ocean, and Sevran, north of Paris. They argue that the climate emergency is already being felt by ordinary citizens and not enough is being done by large firms.

Under a French law called the duty of vigilance, large companies must set out clear measures to any prevent human rights violations or environmental damage resulting from their activities.

The non-governmental organisations bringing the case said Total had not included enough substantial detail in its vigilance plan to curb emissions, and the firm was out of step with the Paris climate agreement’s goals on limiting global heating.

On Tuesday, a court summons will be made in Nanterre, outside Paris.

Sandra Cossart, the head of Sherpa, a French NGO working on economic transparency and corporate-related human rights, said: “It’s the first climate litigation in France against a private company, and it aims to change that company’s strategy in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Sandra said that under the duty of vigilance law, “Total is legally required to identify the risks resulting from its contribution to global warming and to take the necessary measures to reduce its emissions.”

She said the case was an “important moment” to show that big companies have to step up on the climate emergency. “The more impact you have, the more responsibility you have.”

The French state has already faced court action over the climate emergency. Last year environmental groups including Greenpeace and Oxfam filed a legal claim against the government, accusing it of insufficient policy actions to tackle climate change. The court case was backed by an online petition signed by more than 2 million people.

Local authorities say private firms must also be held accountable for their role. Éric Piolle, the Green mayor of Grenoble in the Alps, said: “In Grenoble, the consequences of climate change are already visible: by 2050, Grenoble residents will experience three months of heatwaves a year, and snow will continue to disappear in winter. Glaciers are melting, mountains are crumbling.

“Because cities are on the frontline, it is also through them that change must happen. On a daily basis we are taking steps to anticipate, limit and adapt to climate change. Together, we also have a responsibility to push the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases to lead by example.”

Total’s chief executive, Patrick Pouyanné, met the NGOs and local authorities bringing the case last year. The firm is expected to argue that it is meeting its obligations and will produce a report in March setting out the measures taken.

Pouyanné told a conference this month that the climate debate was “too black and white”, that change would take time and was impossible to make fossil fuels disappear with “a wave of a magic wand”.