The Hill reported on a major legal development related to climate risk:
“The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request by oil companies to dismiss a lawsuit by the city of Honolulu seeking to hold them responsible for the impacts of climate change.
The defendants — Sunoco, Shell, ExxonMobil, BP and Chevron — argued the lawsuit had no standing in state court and could only proceed under federal law. The state Supreme Court had earlier rejected this argument, noting that the case argues on deceptive marketing grounds rather than seeking to restrict interstate commerce.”
Corporate liability for causing environmental and human health damages remains unresolved. This ruling is only about jurisdiction and doesn’t get to damages, causation or liability. It may be some time before the parties and courts get to the substantive questions.
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