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https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/16/24199686/puerto-rico-fossil-fuel-industry-lawsuit-climate-change>
"Puerto Rico filed suit against fossil fuel companies this week, alleging that
the oil and gas giants have misled the public about climate change and delayed
a transition to clean energy. The suit seeks $1 billion in damages to help
Puerto Rico defend itself against climate disasters.
In a complaint filed in San Juan yesterday, Puerto Rico’s Department of Justice
says that the companies violated trade law by promoting fossil fuels without
adequately warning about the dangers. The defendants include ExxonMobil, BP,
Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhillips, and other energy companies.
It’s the latest in a slew of lawsuits attempting to hold fossil fuel companies
accountable for the consequences of climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions
from fossil fuels are supercharging storms and other extreme weather events
while rising seas eat away at island shorelines. Fossil fuel companies knew for
decades that their products would cause global warming and went about business
as usual anyway, several studies and investigations have found.
In the complaint, Puerto Rico says it expects to pay billions of dollars in the
future to cope with catastrophes made worse by climate change — including
storms like Hurricane Maria, which killed thousands of people in 2017 and
triggered monthslong power outages.
The suit asks defendants to contribute to a fund that would be used to mitigate
the consequences of climate change and pay for measures to strengthen Puerto
Rico’s infrastructure against future climate-related calamities."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
