ExxonKnews
September 18, 2023
The state of California just launched a game-changing climate lawsuit against oil majors, bringing the weight of one of the world’s largest economies and the most populous state in the nation to bear against some of the biggest fossil fuel companies on earth.
California’s size and political influence — and its position as the first major oil producing state to take the industry to court — give the lawsuit distinction as likely the most powerful action to date to hold Big Oil companies accountable for lying about their products’ role in climate change. The Golden State’s action could very likely open the floodgates for other states that might have been waiting to make their own moves; while Attorney General Rob Bonta is the ninth attorney general to sue Big Oil, 16 attorneys general signed on to the latest legal brief in support of a climate accountability case.
