California: In a development, the state of California has taken legal action, against five of the largest oil corporations worldwide. The lawsuit accuses these companies of causing billions of dollars in damages and misleading the public by downplaying fuel-related risks. This legal move follows cases brought by cities, counties, and states in the United States against fossil fuel entities regarding climate change impacts and allegations of disseminating misinformation over several decades.
The civil lawsuit was filed in San Francisco’s court lists Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP ConocoPhillips, and Chevron (which is headquartered in California) as defendants. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, is also included in the case. The lawsuit claims that these companies, along with their industry allies, intentionally minimized the risks posed by fuels to the public despite knowing that their products were likely to contribute to global warming. The allegations mentioned in this lawsuit go back as far as the 1950s.
Currently, representatives from the defendants have not yet responded to requests for comment on this lawsuit.
This legal proceeding represents another milestone in the endeavors to hold major fossil fuel companies responsible for their contribution to climate change and their alleged efforts to deceive the public about the related dangers.