#sue fossil fuel companies

[mwebber]

i want it to snow i'm so sick of this heat wave do you people remember when it would snow in november does anybody remember when late september was chilly and we needed sweaters and we weren't blasting air conditioning in our buildings this late in the year and it wasn't 30º+ outside. it's literally october and it feels like july

#how do i sue every fossil fuel company out there

[wachinyeya]

#chicago #fossil fuels #climate crisis #oil and gas #climate legislation #climate litigation #climate lawsuits #lawsuits #usa #good news #environmentalism #science #environment #climate change

[vague-humanoid]

[kp777]

By Jake Johnson

Common Dreams

Sept. 16, 2023

"California's move is an unmistakable sign that the wave of climate lawsuits against Big Oil will keep growing and that these polluters' days of escaping accountability for their lies are numbered."

The state of California on Friday filed suit against ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron, accusing the five oil and gas giants of a decadeslong campaign to mislead the public about the threat fossil fuels pose to the climate.

The lawsuit makes California the largest economy on the planet to take legal action against fossil fuel companies over their efforts to deceive the world about their destructive—and immensely profitable—business model. California is also a major producer of oil and gas.

"This has been a multi-decade, ongoing campaign to seek endless profits at the expense of our planet, our people, and the greedy corporations and individuals need to be held accountable," California Attorney General Rob Bonta toldThe New York Times in an interview on Friday. "That's where we come in."

With its new civil lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco court, California joins Rhode Island, Minnesota, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and other states that have sued the fossil fuel industry over its role in massive climate damages. Dozens of municipalities, including several in California, have also filed lawsuits against oil giants.

Read more.

#california #civil lawsuit #exxonmobil #shell oil #british petroleum #conocophillips #chevron #big oil #rob bonta #fossil fuels #climate crisis #climate change #extreme weather #wildfires

[shamandrummer]

Climate-Endangered Tribe Sues Louisiana

By now, you're likely well aware of the climate crisis and its significant dangers to Indigenous communities the world over. The problem is especially magnified on islands and in coastal regions, where sea level rise can wipe away traditional homelands and make climate refugees of those who have been displaced. That's true even right here in the United States, where hundreds of Native communities -- in South Dakota, Alaska, Florida, Hawai'i, Washington, and Louisiana -- face existential threats.

And now, the first community to supposedly be moved from harm's way -- the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation -- is facing a new set of problems. Just before the new year, the tribe filed a landmark civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) against the state of Louisiana. In 2016, HUD granted Louisiana $48 million in aid to resettle the tribe. But, its complaint asserts, Louisiana failed to properly implement the grant and has ethnically and racially discriminated, violated tribal sovereignty, excluded cultural components central to a proper relocation program, and provided poor replacement housing.

The Jean Charles Choctaw Nation has resided on the Isle de Jean Charles for five generations, since the ancestors of its citizens escaped the Trail of Tears in the early 1830s amid President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act. Its homelands and burial grounds are located in a region facing perpetual devastation and erosion by storms and sea level rise. Since 1955, the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation has lost over 98 percent of its lands to the encroaching ocean.

It's also worth noting that the tribe is located in Terrebonne Parish, a region notorious for oil extraction, high pollution rates, and environmental justice violations. The Parish and over 90 percent of its property are largely controlled by non-local fossil fuel and chemical companies. The infamous "Cancer Alley" is just upstream.

By filing its complaint with HUD, the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation is looking to the federal agency to investigate the grant-funded resettlement program, currently run by Louisiana's Office of Community Development (OCD). The tribe hopes HUD will order OCD to respect tribal needs and authority as the program's implementation proceeds. The lawsuit is also significant in that, while the tribe has state recognition from Louisiana, it does not have federal recognition, which would extend access to more grants, disaster assistance, and various legal powers -- including constitutional protections and self-governance recognized by the United States.

#climate change #indigenous cultures #indigenous rights #climate refugees #native americans #choctaw nation

[notwiselybuttoowell]

Two PNW tribal nations sue oil companies over costs of climate change

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/two-pnw-tribal-nations-sue-oil-companies-over-costs-of-climate-change/

Major oil companies for decades deliberately sought to downplay and discredit scientific warnings about the central role of fossil fuels in causing climate change, alleges two lawsuits filed this week by the Makah and Shoalwater Bay tribes.

The lawsuits filed in King County Superior Court name ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66 as defendants, and seek compensation for the millions of dollars already spent, and likely to be spent in the future, for the tribes to respond to climate-induced disasters such as extreme heat, drought, wildfire, shoreline erosion, sea level rise and flooding.

The lawsuits allege the companies have known fossil fuels would cause catastrophic climate change since at least 1959, but continued marketing massive quantities of oil and gas. They allege the oil companies tried to mislead the public by funding op-eds and advertisements in Seattle and national newspapers that claimed the science of climate change was uncertain or lacking evidence.

The complaints outline the companies’ research and misleading marketing around their products’ role in causing climate change and the sea level rise, extreme weather, public health harms and other climate effects on the tribes and their lands.

With both the Makah and Shoalwater Bay reservations on the Pacific Ocean, they are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, the lawsuits state. Both tribes have already incurred the costs of moving their citizens to higher ground, and ocean acidification “at an alarming rate” from burning fossil fuels has endangered the tribes’ coastal ecosystems and economy, according to the lawsuits.

“We are seeing the effects of the climate crisis on our people, our land, and our resources. The costs and consequences to us are overwhelming,” said Makah Tribal Council Chair Timothy J. Greene, Sr. in a statement. “We intend to hold these companies accountable for hiding the truth about climate change and the effects of burning fossil fuels. And we aim to force them to help pay for the high costs of surviving the catastrophe caused by the climate crisis.”

The lawsuits also cite a report by the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington that suggests with global warming of at least 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050, Washington is projected to experience a 67% increase in the number of days per year above 90 degrees, relative to 1976-2005, leading to an increased risk of heat-related illness and death, warmer streams and more frequent algal blooms. 

The report also found warming would fuel a decrease of 38% in snowpack, relative to 1970-99, leading to reduced water storage, irrigation shortages, and winter and summer recreation losses, as well as increases in winter streamflow, decreases in summer streamflow, leading to reduced summer hydropower, conflicts over water resources and negative effects on salmon. 

“These oil companies knew their products were dangerous, yet they did nothing to mitigate those dangers or warn any of us about them, for decades,” said Shoalwater Bay Chair Charlene Nelson in a written statement. “Now we are facing hundreds of millions of dollars in costs to relocate our community to higher ground and protect our people, our property, and our heritage. These companies need to be held accountable for that.”

The tribes bring their claims under Washington’s Products Liability Act for failure to warn, misrepresentation and intentional concealment. The complaints request jury trials, and ask the court to order the companies to create a fund to be managed by the tribes to remediate and adapt reservation lands, natural resources and infrastructure to climate change.

#Washington state #makah #shoalwater bay tribe #climate change #fossil fuels #environment #indigenous activism

[purpleweredragon]

All countries must withdraw from the treaty to stop unfair protection for polluters’ profits.

Exit the Energy Charter Treaty today and stop its expansion to other countries. The treaty allows coal, oil and gas corporations to obstruct the transition to net zero. Urgent climate action cannot be made slower or more expensive by fossil fuel firms.  

Over a million people across Europe have asked their governments to withdraw from the treaty. Counties including Germany, France and Spain already have. Please sign this petition to demand the UK withdraws too.

#climate crisis #uk #cop27 #climate change #fracking #big oil

[beardedmrbean]

Germany is exiting the Energy Charter Treaty, Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced on Wednesday.

"The Energy Charter Treaty has proven itself in the past to be an obstacle for change," Habeck said.

Germany's coalition government announced plans to leave the treaty on November 11. Italy, France, Poland, the Netherlands and Spain have also announced their withdrawal.

Why is Germany withdrawing from the treaty?

The treaty, which has more than 50 signatories, was designed to secure energy supplies. It has been criticized for hampering efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels, as it creates grounds for compensation for the closure of plants.

Deputy leader of the parliamentary group of the Greens in the German Bundestag, Julia Verlinden, said that the treaty was "absurd."

"In times of climate crisis, it is absurd that companies can sue for lost profits from fossil investments and compensation for coal and nuclear phase-outs," she said.

Franziska Brantner, parliamentary state secretary at the Economy Ministry, said early in November that the decision was part of Berlin's commitment to "constantly aligning our trade policy with climate protection." Other EU states that have left the treaty say that it is incompatible with their commitments to the 2015 Paris accord.

Withdrawal to take 20 years

The agreement contains a clause which binds members to its provisions for 20 years in the event of a withdrawal, which Germany's economy minister called "bitter news."

Habeck said that the withdrawal means that Berlin will not participate in a process to reform the treaty. The EU has so far failed to get other members to agree to proposed amendments.

The European Parliament recently voted to ask the bloc's executive branch to coordinate a withdrawal of member states from the agreement.

#nunyas news

[wewantclimateactionnow]

#late stage capitalism #victims of capitalism #jail climate criminals #we want climate action now #climate change #cambio climático #climate crisis #klimakatastrophe #klimawandel #changement climatique #qihou bianhua #izmeneniye klimata #cambiamento climatico #気候変動 #जलवायु परिवर्तन #jalavaayu parivartan #das Alterações Climáticas #prepare for climate change #greenwashing

[ceevee5]

“Five people, aged between 17 and 31, who have experienced devastating floods, forest fires and hurricanes are bringing a case to the European court of human rights, where they will argue that their governments’ membership of the little-known energy charter treaty (ECT) is a dangerous obstacle to action on the climate crisis. It is the first time that the Strasbourg court will be asked to consider the treaty, a secretive investor court system that enables fossil fuel companies to sue governments for lost profits … The claimants are suing 12 ECHR member states, including France, Germany and the UK because these countries are home to companies that have been active users of the ECT charter. The German energy company RWE is suing the Netherlands for €1.4bn (£1.2bn) over its plans to phase out coal; Rockhopper Exploration, based in the UK, is suing the Italian government after it banned new drilling near the coast.”

#global warming #fossil fuels #capitalism

[midnightcowboy1969]

Love how the Guardian is encouraging people to sue Southern Company

[gattmammon]

Ok I'm gonna ask. Speaking purely theoretically can I sue like, the CEO of a major oil company for physical and moral damage due to global climate change? Like I mean of course it wouldn't be me-me, I'm thinking like, a class action. Imagine we figure out where to present the lawsuit. I know there's proof that they knew about adverse affect of fossil fuel on climate for decades and that they have paid ads and sponsored politicians to keep pursuing their profit anyway. I think there's ground to claim that they willfully endanger people and are indirectly responsible for loss of life and property damage. Like think the big anti-tobacco lawsuits. I feel like I'm going insane I have to figure out something we can do. This seems more immediate and concrete than most other things I can think of.

[agents-of-behemoth]

[vaspider]

Would it be ok to ask you to boost this petition?

The ISDS is causing serious issues being utilized by shitty fossil fuel company owners to sue governments for taking action against their companies to stop climate change.

Clive Palmer alone is trying to sue the Australian government for $110 Billion via registering his company through Singapore and using the ISDS, because an Australian court ruled against his coal mine because of the environmental impact it would cause.

https://aftinet.org.au/petition-trade-minister

I don't know anything about this, but I'll post this ask. :)

[hardynwa]

UK to quit ‘outdated’ fossil fuel-friendly treaty

The UK will join a string of European countries in leaving a controversial energy treaty that has allowed fossil fuel giants to sue governments over their climate policies. The UK government said this on Thursday. The decision to quit the 1990s-era accord comes after efforts to negotiate a modernised treaty ended in stalemate. France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands are also pulling out of the Energy Charter Treaty, while the European Parliament has called for the entire 27-nation European Union to withdraw. Italy, which lost a costly arbitration case against British oil company Rockhopper under the treaty, announced it was leaving in 2015. Established in the 1990s when the world energy system was heavily dominated by fossil fuels coal, gas and oil, the treaty was originally intended to encourage international energy investment. In practice, it has allowed foreign companies to challenge energy policies that threaten their investments under a secretive arbitration process. This has led to a number of countries facing costly legal challenges over reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and boosting renewables. “The Energy Charter Treaty is outdated and in urgent need of reform but talks have stalled and sensible renewal looks increasingly unlikely,” UK Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Graham Stuart said. “Remaining a member would not support our transition to cleaner, cheaper energy, and could even penalise us for our world-leading efforts to deliver net zero,” he added. The treaty, which the EU and Euratom, the European atomic energy community, signed on to in 1994 came into effect in 1998. It initially sought to bring post-Soviet Eastern European energy sectors into a cooperative framework with Western European ones. To do that, it allowed energy companies — many of them using coal and other fossil fuels — to sue governments over policies putting their investments at risk. But as countries have shifted towards renewable and more sustainable energy sources, European governments have increasingly balked at remaining part of the treaty. The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights and Environment, David Boyd, warned in December that an “explosion” of multibillion-dollar claims by fossil fuel and extractive firms through shadowy investment tribunals was blocking action on climate and nature. “When governments bring in these stronger laws and policies, they’re ending up paying millions — and sometimes billions — of dollars in compensation,” Boyd told AFP. Developing nations were increasingly being targeted, he said, adding that fossil fuel and mining industries had won over $100 billion in awards. Shaun Spiers, executive director of environmental think-tank Green Alliance, welcomed the UK government’s decision. “Civil society organisations and parliamentarians from all political parties have been clear that the Energy Charter Treaty is an out-of-date agreement and undermines our efforts to tackle climate change,” he said. “We welcome the UK’s decision to leave, which will strengthen global efforts to roll out cheap, clean renewable energy,” he added. AFP Read the full article

[alicemccombs]

#chicago #climateactionnow #healearth