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‘50 Years Of Deception’: California Sues Five Big Oil Companies For Lying About Climate Change
Original source: Down to Earth
Lawsuit against oil and gas companies for “creating, contributing and assisting in the creation of state-wide climate change-related harms in California”
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, in a press release on September 16, 2023, announced the state has sued five major oil and gas companies for over five decades of deception, cover-up and damage that have allegedly cost California taxpayers billions of dollars in health and environmental impacts.
Bonta filed the lawsuit, The People of the State of California vs Exxon Mobil Corporation & Others, September 15, 2023 in San Francisco County Superior Court.
It alleged that the five companies, Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP and the American Petroleum Institute “concealed and misrepresented facts regarding the dangers of fossil fuel products and encouraged continued use of fossil fuels and discouraged concerted action on greenhouse gas emissions”.
“The state of California has suffered and is suffering and will suffer injuries from the oil and gas industry’s wrongful conduct,” the 135-page lawsuit stated.
California is experiencing the consequences in the form of extreme weather events like extreme heat, drought and water shortages; extreme wildfire; public health injuries; extreme storms and flooding; damage to agriculture; sea level rise, coastal flooding and coastal erosion; ecosystem, habitat and biodiversity disruption, it added.
The lawsuit demanded that oil companies pay their fair share for recovery efforts from climate change-induced superstorms and wildfires. The compensation would also protect people from the health impacts of extreme heat and managing dwindling water supplies in extreme drought.
Infrastructure and homes would also be fortified against sea level rise and coastal and inland flooding.
Big Oil has been lying and covering up the fact that they’ve long known how dangerous fossil fuels are for our planet, said Newsom.
“Wildfires wiping out entire communities, toxic smoke clogging our air, deadly heatwaves, record-breaking droughts parching our wells. California taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill. California is taking action to hold big polluters accountable,” the Governor said.
Read more: Exxon knew: Big Oil’s scientists documented accurate climate predictions since 1970s, 1980s
California is the first major oil producing state to take fossil fuel companies to court for their climate deception.
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