California cracks down on carbon
Climate Week NYC got off to an early start in California. In the days running up to the launch of the annual jamboree in New York City, America’s most populous and economically powerful state seized the initiative by hurling two thunderbolts at carbon-intensive businesses.
The most eye-catching was a lawsuit filed on September 15th by the Democrat-led state government accusing five big oil companies—BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell—of lying about the dangers of climate change. Two bills passed days earlier by the state legislature may have a bigger impact. They could, for the first time in America, force big business to make climate-related disclosures. Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to sign both, after a few tweaks.
The two approaches—legal and legislative—were hailed by climate campaigners as tipping points in American law. The lawsuit against “big oil” aims to make the defendants pay for the alleged environmental damage suffered in California as a result of the use of their products. The firms reasserted their commitment to decarbonisation and said that the courts were not the right place to tackle such a momentous problem. It is the latest and most significant of dozens of court cases filed by states and cities against fossil-fuel producers in recent years. Those lawsuits proceed slowly and, as yet, no firm has lost. But in April the Supreme Court dealt a blow to oil producers by rejecting their efforts to move such cases from state to federal courts.
2023-09-21 07:51:46
Original from www.economist.com