CLIMATEWIRE | Chicago filed suit Tuesday against six oil companies and an influential industry ally, joining the ranks of local governments looking to hold fossil fuel producers financially accountable for the effects of climate change.
The lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court accuses the companies, their subsidiaries and industry trade association the American Petroleum Institute of waging a campaign to discredit climate science and mislead the public about the dangers of burning fossil fuels.
“While defendants have promoted and profited from their deceptive conduct, the city and its residents have spent and will continue to spend substantial sums to recover from the effects of climate change,” the lawsuit says, noting that Chicago is facing more frequent and intense storms, flooding, droughts and extreme heat.
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The lawsuit — which names BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, Phillips 66, Shell and API as defendants — says climate effects are felt “throughout every part of the city and disproportionately in low-income communities.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson cited unprecedented poor air quality in 2023 and floods that inundated Chicago residents’ basements as some of the climate impacts the city must face.
“The consequences of this crisis are severe, as are the costs of surviving them,” Johnson said. “That is why we are seeking to hold these defendants accountable.”
Chicago’s climate liability lawsuit comes as more than two dozen other cities, counties and states have filed similar challenges against the oil industry, seeking compensation for dealing with the ravages of climate such as rising tides and frequent heat waves.
Oil companies, which could be on the hook for billions of…
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