On Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that the city is suing fossil fuel companies for allegedly deceiving the public about the climate crisis.
Johnson said in an emailed statement that there is no justice without accountability.
Chicago Sues Fossil Fuel Companies
Protestor hold a banner during an action of Extinction Rebellion to demand an end to fossil fuels, in Brussels, on January 28, 2024. Activists from across Belgium will block traffic on Cantersteen, Brussels, and hold a street party to celebrate unity, resilience and the power of collective action.
In the lawsuit, the city targets major oil companies BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, and Shell, alleging they intentionally misled the public about the impact of their products despite having long-standing awareness of the climate dangers of oil and gas.
The American Petroleum Institute, the nation's largest oil and gas lobbying group, is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit for allegedly working with oil firms to sow doubt about the climate crisis and for setting up front groups to spread climate disinformation.
Chicago also charged the defendants for contributing to climate destruction throughout the city, including coastline erosion, susceptibility to flooding, and dangerously high summer temperatures. It specifically mentioned the over 700 people who died in the city during a brutal four-day heatwave in the summer of 1995.
"From the unprecedented poor air quality that we experienced last summer to the basement floodings that our residents on the West Side experienced, the consequences of this crisis are severe, as are the costs of surviving them," Johnson said.
Furthermore, Chicago will have to construct new infrastructure and repair existing damage to prepare for these increasingly extreme climate events. The city has committed to spending almost $200 million to protect the city's most vulnerable areas from climate destruction.
Since 2017, eight states, three dozen municipalities, and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against Big Oil for allegedly hiding the risks of their products from consumers and investors.
Chicago is one of the biggest individual municipalities to file such a suit against ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, and the American Petroleum Institute in 2021.
Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, a non-profit that supports the litigation, said that Big Oil has lied to the American people for decades about the catastrophic climate risks of their products. He claimed that Chicago and communities nationwide are now rightfully insisting on paying for the damage they have caused.
The Chicago lawsuit was filed by the San Francisco law firm Sher Edling, which has brought 20 other cases involving climate misinformation, and the local firm DiCello Levitt. The lawsuit includes ten counts of fraud, nuisance, conspiracy, and other offenses.
The city wants the defendants to discontinue their "deception" campaign and pay an undisclosed sum of money for the harm caused by climate change.
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Fossil Fuel Companies Speak Out
Senior vice-president and general counsel of the American Petroleum Institute Ryan Meyers told The Guardian that the industry provided "affordable, reliable" energy and reduced emissions. He called the current wave of extensive oil litigation a waste of taxpayer resources and meritless, politicized lawsuits against a foundational American industry.
He added that climate policy is for Congress to debate and decide, not a patchwork of city halls and courts.
A Shell spokesperson said the company was attempting to reduce its emissions. The spokesperson claimed they do not believe the courtroom is the right venue to address climate change.
Shell believes that smart policy from the government and action from all sectors are appropriate ways to reach solutions and drive progress. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Phillips 66 also stated that efforts around energy and climate solutions are best addressed outside the courtroom.
ConocoPhillips spokesman Dennis Nuss informed The Guardian that the company would not comment on ongoing legal matters. Requests for response from BP, Chevron, and ExxonMobil were not immediately answered.
Furthermore, Chicago Alderman Matt Martin stated that the challenge could lead to accountability. Martin noted that both the facts and the law are on their side.
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