Half a century. That’s how long the fossil fuel industry has known that burning oil and gas fuels climate change.
And what did the industry do with this knowledge? Bankrolled climate denial and deception. Manufactured doubt. Attacked science. Bought political loyalty. manipulated our public and political climate to stop any actions that would threaten its profits. And continued to pollute and cause human rights abuses across the world, especially in the global south.
And despite their greenwashing, Big Polluters, like the fossil fuel industry, are still blocking progress on climate change.
It’s time for the fossil fuel industry to stop writing the rules — and start paying for the damage it’s caused. Governments, from the local to the federal level, launching investigations into corporations like Exxon, Chevron, and Shell would be a huge step.
That’s why today, we released a letter signed by 30 state and local elected officials urging California Attorney General Bonta to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for climate damages and climate fraud by investigating, and if warranted, suing the fossil fuel industry for its role in fueling the climate crisis.
Already, several states and large cities, like Minnesota, New York City, and Rhode Island, have opened investigations and lawsuits into Big Polluters. And cities and counties across California have also launched lawsuits against Big Polluters like ExxonMobil and Shell, and others.
So the time is now to get the state of California to join this effort. As one of the largest states in the U.S. that has sought to be a leader in addressing the climate crisis, California taking action would be a huge step forward in the movement to hold Big Polluters liable for the damage they continue to inflict on the planet and the people.
The climate crisis will exact profound economic costs on the state of California and its residents, with Black, Latino, Indigenous, and Asian communities bearing the brunt of the negative impacts of fossil fuel extraction and burning. We are only beginning to see what this will look like: from health impacts to flooding and the costs of adaptation.
These corporations have spent billions of dollars simultaneously fueling and denying the climate crisis — all while raking in billions in profits each year. Holding polluting corporations accountable and liable for their abuses is critical to unlocking the finances needed to implement the just solutions we need to address the climate crisis. And California taking action would be a huge step.
