Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Oil companies can’t be sued for climate change even though it’s real, judge rules

Five major oil companies got their wish when a federal judge ruled to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the cities of San Francisco and Oakland. The cities sued Big Oil for the damage wrought by global warming and sea level rise.

In his order to dismiss the case, Judge William Alsup, who was presiding over the lawsuit, agreed that burning fossil fuels has contributed to global warming and sea level rise. But, in his opinion, lawsuits aren’t the best solution for this planetary problem. “Nuisance suits in various United States judicial districts regarding conduct worldwide are far less likely to solve the problem and, indeed, could interfere with reaching a worldwide consensus,” he wrote.

The defendants — Chevron, ExxonMobil,...

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