The US state of California sued five of the world’s major oil companies on Friday, alleging that the companies caused billions of dollars in damages and misled the public by downplaying the risks of fossil fuels, according to a court filing. It follows a slew of other cases made by cities, counties, and states in the United States against fossil fuel interests over the effects of climate change, as well as claimed disinformation operations spanning decades.
The civil complaint was brought in San Francisco Superior Court against ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron, all of whom are headquartered in California. An industry body, the American Petroleum Institute, is also a defendant in the action.
“Oil and gas company executives have known for decades that reliance on fossil fuels would cause these catastrophic results, but they suppressed that information from the public and policymakers by actively pushing out disinformation on the topic,” the 135-page complaint read.
“Their deception caused a delayed societal response to global warming. And their misconduct has resulted in tremendous costs to people, property, and natural resources, which continue to unfold each day.”
The lawsuit demands the establishment of a fund to pay for future damages caused by climate disasters in California, which is at the forefront of climate change-fueled wildfires, flooding, and other extreme weather occurrences.
“By downplaying the scientific consensus on climate change and emphasizing uncertainty, Defendants hoped to delay any regulatory action that might seek to reduce or control (greenhouse gas) emissions, thereby threatening the industry’s profits,” the complaint added.
Legal battle against big oil
The defendants’ representatives did not immediately respond to AFP‘s requests for comment.
“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,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement on Friday.
“California is taking action to hold big polluters accountable,” he added.
Since the current wave of environmental litigation against fossil fuel companies began in 2017, the industry has attempted to avoid state court hearings on procedural grounds.
In May, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in two cases, indicating that they might proceed.
The actions are fashioned after successful cases against Big Tobacco and the pharmaceutical industry over the opioid epidemic.