New York City Mayor sues the five largest oil companies in the U.S.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a federal lawsuit against the five biggest oil companies in the U.S. for their role in climate change and global warming that led to Hurricane Sandy, which wreaked havoc on the city.
According to a report by Politico, the de Blasio administration is suing for reparations intending to force the oil companies to pay for the city’s resiliency efforts. Hurricane Sandy cost New York City more than $19 billion and resiliency efforts have been continuing since the 2012 storm. The mayor also plans to ask the city’s pension funds to divest from the oil companies.
The lawsuit names as defendants BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell — which the court papers claim have produced more than 11% of the world’s carbon and methane pollution from industrial sources “since the dawn of the industrial revolution,” according to the New York Post.
“This lawsuit is factually and legally meritless, and will do nothing to address the serious issue of climate change. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a global issue that requires global engagement. Should this litigation proceed, it will only serve special interests at the expense of broader policy, regulatory and economic priorities,” Braden Reddall, senior external affairs advisor, downstream, midstream and corporate affairs for Chevron Corp. told CSD.
New York City leaders in conjunction with FEMA plan to redraw flood maps for the first time in more than 30 years, to better consider the effects of climate change, rising sea levels and the possibilities of bigger, more devastating storms to come in the future, Politico noted.
According to the lawsuit, as reported by The New York Post, “The city seeks to shift the costs of protecting the city from climate change impacts back onto the companies that have done nearly all they could to create this existential threat.”
The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York.
