The state of California has filed a lawsuit against the five largest oil companies in the world, accusing them of intentionally causing billions of dollars in climate damage.
According to a New York Times report, the civil lawsuit was filed in San Francisco Superior Court against ExxonMobil, Shell, British Petroleum (BP), ConocoPhillips, Chevron, and the American Petroleum Institute (API).
These companies and their allies allegedly deliberately downplayed the risks that fossil fuels pose to the public, despite knowing since the 1950s that their products could contribute to climate change.
California is seeking to create a fund to cover future damage from climate-related disasters in the state, which is on the front lines of climate change, facing wildfires, floods, and other climate-related phenomena.
Oil and gas company executives have known for decades that reliance on fossil fuels can lead to catastrophic outcomes, the lawsuit states, yet they concealed this information from the public and policymakers by spreading misleading information.
This legal action comes on the heels of several other lawsuits filed by cities, counties, and states in the US against fossil fuel interests for their role in climate change and alleged decades-long misinformation campaigns.
The California lawsuit is another sign of growing legal and political pressure on the fossil fuel industry to take responsibility for its impact on climate change and support measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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