California sues Chevron, other oil giants, alleges climate change deception

California sued five of the world’s largest oil companies, alleging they deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels and the impact on climate change. The lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court targeted BP, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, and ConocoPhillips, along with the companies’ trade group, the American Petroleum Institute.

In the 135-page filing, the state alleged that all five oil companies have known about the negative impacts of burning fossil fuels on the climate since the 1960s yet the companies downplayed this information and lied about it to the public.

State officials said climate-related storms, fires and droughts have cost billions of dollars in damage. Part of the lawsuit seeks to create a fund to assist with recovery after future disasters that the oil companies would finance.

California is one of several states to file a complaint against the oil companies.

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The American Petroleum Institute called the lawsuit meritless and politicized, adding climate change should be debated in Congress, not a courtroom. In a similar statement, Shell agreed that immediate action to combat climate change is needed but a courtroom is not the right place to debate that.

“This ongoing, coordinated campaign to wage meritless, politicized lawsuits against a foundational American industry and its workers is nothing more than a distraction from important national conversations and an enormous waste of California taxpayer resources. Climate policy is for Congress to debate and decide, not the court system,” said Ryan Meyers, American Petroleum Institute senior vice president and general counsel.

Chevron said that climate change requires a coordinated international response while accusing California of being a leading promoter of fossil fuel development.

Still, the lawsuit alleged that these companies launched a disinformation campaign as early as 1970 to discredit scientific research regarding climate change.

Rhode Island, Baltimore and Honolulu are among the other states and cities that have filed similar complaints against oil companies.

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