Local US authorities seek compensation for costs ranging from sea wall upgrades to retrofitting storm drains
June 9, 2019
Fossil fuel companies are already grappling with the risks posed by climate change, from the physical threats of extreme weather to the challenge of switching to cleaner energy. Now they have a new item rising up their list of worries: liability lawsuits.Over the past two years, a growing number of legal cases in the US — brought by cities, counties, and the State of Rhode Island — are seeking damages from energy companies for a litany of climate-related problems.
Baltimore wants compensation for the cost of retrofitting storm drains to prepare for worsening storms. In San Francisco, the city says it will cost $5bn to upgrade the city’s sea wall to prepare for higher sea levels. Meanwhile, Rhode Island expects coastal properties worth $3.6bn to be under threat by the end of the century.
“There has been a long history of this litigation that has not been successful, and for good reason,” said Phil Goldberg, special counsel at the National Association of Manufacturers, a lobby group in DC whose members include fossil fuel companies.
“The fundamental flaw with these lawsuits is that the companies didn’t do anything wrong . . . they are selling a useful product,” Mr Goldberg added. “The whole thing is just a red herring.”
But he stops short of dismissing the lawsuits altogether. “Anytime you are sued, you take it seriously,” he said. The growing number of cases has prompted the association to set up a new wing — the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project — to address them.
Oil majors gear up for wave of climate change liability lawsuits | Financial Times
Local US authorities seek compensation for costs ranging from sea wall upgrades to retrofitting storm drains June 9, 2019 Fossil fuel companies are already grappling with the risks posed by climate change, from the physical threats of extreme weather to the challenge of switching to cleaner energy. Now they have a new item rising up… [Read More]
