California state is filing a lawsuit against five major oil companies, accusing them of downplaying the impact of fossil fuels on climate change. According to the Washington Post, the state filed a civil lawsuit before the Supreme Court in San Francisco against ExxonMobil, Shell, British Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, Chevron and the American Petroleum Institute (API). The state accused the officials of the five companies of concealing information about the impact of fossil fuels in causing global warming and delaying the societal response to the phenomenon. The accusations levelled at the five companies included publishing misleading information that would misguide policymakers and the public. The state argued in the 135-page lawsuit that hiding information about the impact of fossil fuel caused billions of dollars in damage and led to costs to people, real estate and natural resources. The lawsuit comes after several lawsuits filed by US cities, counties and states against fossil fuel interests for their impact on climate change and supposed misinformation campaigns that have continued for decades. California is calling for creating a fund to cover future damage caused by climate disasters in the state, which is on the front lines of climate change-induced wildfires, floods and other phenomena.
Source: Jordan News Agency