Cities Sue Big Oil for Damages from Rising Seas
Top lawyers for Oakland and San Francisco in California announced yesterday that they filed lawsuits against five of the world's biggest oil companies for damages related to climate change.
Barbara Parker, Oakland city attorney, said the legal action is meant to make the companies pay the “cost of protecting the people and the property of Oakland.” And Dennis Herrera, San Francisco's city attorney, said the case is part of the municipality's long-term effort to address the costs of sea-level rise.
“Now we're going to ensure that those responsible for the problem are held to account,” Herrera said.
In court papers, the cities argue that the defendants — BP PLC, Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips Co., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC — have put citizens and public property at risk.
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