Climate change continues to affect communities around the globe. As a result, five U.S. states are seeking to hold big oil companies accountable. Connecticut and Delaware are now joining Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Minnesota in filing lawsuits against ExxonMobil and other oil and gas corporations. Not only do they hope to hold these companies accountable for the part they play in global emissions, but the lawsuits also allege that big oil knew about the negative effects of climate change all along.
Big Oil Knew About Climate Change
On September 10, 2020, Delaware announced its intent to sue 31 fossil fuel companies for climate damages and fraud. Delaware has plenty of reasons to confront big oil. As the lowest-lying state in the U.S., flooding caused by climate change is a real threat. Sea levels along the coast of Delaware are expected to rise five feet by the end of the century. The costs of building seawalls to prevent statewide flooding could cost nearly $9.4 billion by 2040.
The lawsuit seeks to hold big oil companies accountable for more than just monetary damages. “Exxon, Chevron, and other mega-corporations knew exactly what kind of sacrifices the world would make to support their profits,” Attorney General Kathleen Jennings said, “and they deceived the public for decades.” Additionally, Delaware’s lawsuit alleges that the state has already seen the impacts of fossil fuel’s contribution to climate change. This includes extreme temperatures, flooding, severe weather, and toxic air pollution. (1)
A 2015 exposé on Exxon‘s research into climate change was written by the Los Angeles Times. It revealed how the company knew, early one, about the harm it would cause the environment. An Arctic research team for Exxon studied the impacts of global warming during the late 1980s and early 90s. Their findings revealed what science now confirms: that warming would cause melting ice, higher sea levels, and bigger waves. While their concern was for pipelines, structures, and operations, they also noted that melting Arctic ice would allow them easier access to drilling. To the public, however, they simply indicated that future effects of global warming were unclear and their own research models unproven. (2)
Holding Big Oil Accountable
As more evidence mounts to support the reality of climate change, states are seeking to hold oil companies accountable. Similar to the battle against tobacco companies in the 1990s, lawsuits attempt to force these issues into the courts. Minnesota, for example, plans to present powerful evidence. This will show that gas and oil companies knew what they were doing to the environment–and what part their industry played in it.
The state’s attorney general, Keith Ellison, gave NPR an example. “We have documents, such as one stamped ‘proprietary information’ from Exxon Engineering,” he said. In it, Exxon affirms that “the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has increased.” The reason? “The most widely held theory is that the increase is due to fossil fuel combustion.” Because this document dates back to 1979, it contradicts the way the company addressed global warming to the general population. The fact that Exxon withheld this information from the public–about their products–is something that Minnesota’s lawsuit wants the company to answer for.
Time will tell if these five state’s lawsuits will be effective. Despite the allegations, the gas and oil companies largely dismiss claims of wrongdoing. Exxon Mobil, for example, responded to Minnesota’s lawsuit. They called the claims “baseless and without merit.” It appears that states will have to battle it out in court if they want their voices to be heard regarding the seriousness of climate change. (3)
