New Jersey officials announced a lawsuit on Tuesday against Exxon Mobil Corp., Shell Oil Co., Chevron Corp., BP, ConocoPhillips, and the American Petroleum Institute trade group, alleging the companies misinformed the public about the link between fossil fuels and climate change, CBS News reports. The suit was filed in the Superior Court in Mercer County.
The state claims these oil and gas companies acted deceptively so as to continue fossil fuel extraction and burning, thus worsening climate change and costing New Jersey billions of dollars in clean-up due to storms like Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Ida, Reuters reports. Evidence has shown that storms like hurricanes are getting worse due to climate change.
New Jersey's is not the first lawsuit of its kind. Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and the District of Columbia have all filed similar claims targeting oil and gas giants for their role in delaying climate action, The Guardian reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In previous cases, the oil companies have attempted to remove the cases to federal court, which is typically seen as more favorable to defendants, Reuters notes.
Exxon spokesperson Casey Norton said that suits like these "waste millions of dollars of taxpayer money and do nothing to advance meaningful actions that reduce the risk of climate change." Meanwhile, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement that "[Oil and gas companies] went to great lengths to hide the truth and mislead the people of New Jersey, and the world."
-
Can Soho House get its edge back?Talking Point The private members' club has lost its exclusive appeal – but a £2 billion buy-out could offer a fresh start
-
The week's best photosIn Pictures A human pyramid, a church on wheels, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Is it time for a new world map?Podcast Plus, why is the pope getting flatmates? And why are seagull 'muggings' on the rise?
-
Cloudbursts: what are the 'rain bombs' hitting India and Pakistan?The Explainer The sudden and intense weather event is almost impossible to forecast and often leads to deadly flash-flooding and landslides
-
What do heatwaves mean for Scandinavia?Under the Radar A record-breaking run of sweltering days and tropical nights is changing the way people – and animals – live in typically cool Nordic countries
-
Blue whales have gone silent and it's posing troubling questionsUnder the radar Warming oceans are the answer
-
Acid rain is back: the sequel nobody wantedUnder The Radar A 'forever chemical' in rainwater is reviving a largely forgotten environmental issue
-
Why is the world so divided over plastics?Today's Big Question UN negotiations on first global plastic treaty are at stake, as fossil fuel companies, petrostates and plastic industry work to resist a legal cap on production
-
Tuvalu is being lost to climate change. Other countries will likely follow.Under the Radar Sea level rise is putting islands underwater
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
