California is reported to have sued several of the world’s biggest oil companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell and BP with claims that they deceived the public for decades about how the burning of fossil fuels is destroying the planet.
Among other things, the civil lawsuit alleges that oil and gas executives knew that relying on fossil fuels would have catastrophic results but suppressed the information by pushing out disinformation on the topic.
The lawsuit also showed that deception by the companies had caused a delayed societal response to global warming, which has resulted in billions of dollars in damage including drought, sprawling wildfires and historic storms to California.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the superior court in San Francisco by California’s attorney-general on Friday, seeks damages from the oil industry to help pay for the costs of climate change and to prevent the industry from engaging in further pollution. It also names ConocoPhillips, Chevron and the American Petroleum Institute as defendants.
According to reports, the action follows a sweeping new law passed last week by California state legislators that would force major polluters to calculate and disclose carbon emissions tied to supply and use of their products for the first time.
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“For more than 50 years, Big Oil has been lying to us — covering up the fact that they’ve long known how dangerous the fossil fuels they produce are for our planet,” said California governor Gavin Newsom. “California taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill. California is taking action to hold big polluters accountable.”
California’s lawsuit is said to have added to a list of more than 40 climate litigation cases filed by US states and municipalities against the oil and gas industry. These actions seek to use consumer protection, racketeering, product liability and other laws to seek damages to pay for climate-related costs.
Available data shows that the number of climate-related court cases globally, has doubled in the five years between 2017 and summer 2023, according to research by the UN and Columbia University. The majority of the cases have been filed in the US.
Recall that last month, a judge in Montana ruled in favour of youth climate activists in a landmark decision that established that young people had a right to “a clean and healthful environment”.
The legal onslaught against the oil and gas industry has fuelled a political debate in the US where some prominent Republican politicians, including Texas governor Greg Abbott, have dismissed these climate lawsuits as “lawfare”, arguing they harm industry and costs jobs.
Story was adapted from Financial Times.
