News & Analysis
September 13, 2024
As support for holding Big Oil accountable surges nationwide, the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors passed a resolution this week to officially endorse California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s climate deception lawsuit against ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel industry majors. The resolution, which a majority of public commenters supported, cites the region’s more frequent and longer heat waves, coastal erosion, worsening wildfire threats, and heavier rainfall and flooding — all climate impacts that the oil industry knew their products would fuel.
“For decades, oil and gas companies have known about the dangers and repercussions that burning fossil fuels would have, and yet they proceeded to engage in misleading information and advertising campaigns, and protect their profit over people,” a statement about the resolution reads. “This has resulted in climate change harms across the State of California. Billions of dollars have already been spent by the State to recover from damages, and to support mitigation and adaptation measures.”
The resolution was sponsored by Terra Lawson-Remer, the vice chair of the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors.
“When the AG’s lawsuit succeeds, communities across San Diego County and California will receive tremendous benefits,” Lawson-Remer said in a statement after the vote.
California became the largest government to date to sue oil companies for their climate deception when Bonta filed the case in 2023, citing internal documents and other evidence that oil companies knew decades ago that the burning of fossil fuels would lead to the climate threats California is currently facing. The lawsuit seeks to create an abatement fund to finance climate adaptation projects. Earlier this year, Bonta expanded the case to make Big Oil companies give up the alleged ill-gotten profits they received while lying to consumers about their products.
“From extreme heat to drought and water shortages, the climate crisis they have caused is undeniable,” Bonta said last year. “It is time they pay to abate the harm they have caused.”
Eight California cities and counties have similarly sued fossil fuel companies for their climate deception, including Imperial Beach in San Diego County.
Image by slworking2 on Flickr.
