![]() ![]() Other climate-related public nuisances, including flooding, sea level rise, heatwaves and drought, are together costing the city billions and putting residents and property at risk, the lawsuit says. ![]() ![]() Though the climate crisis was not the sole cause of the record-breaking fires, she added, it “set the table” for the destruction by fueling unusually hot, dry, flammable conditions.įires are just one form of extreme weather the Honolulu case says is plaguing the city and county. “If the truth had been known about climate change, if the truth had been allowed to be known by big oil, Hawaii might have had a different future,” she said. The fires ravaging Hawaii “underscore the importance” of such litigation, said Denise Antolini, a retired University of Hawaii law professor and supporter of the plaintiffs. Another suit was filed by Maui county, where wildfires among the deadliest in US history have been blazing that case was at one point consolidated with Honolulu’s. The case is one of dozens filed against big oil since 2017 by states and municipalities over climate deception, which build on certain oil companies’ well-documented history of sowing doubt about climate science. “They have deprived these public entities of the opportunity to make choices and control their future.” “You can think of how Hawaii would have been different if they had stood up 50 years ago and said, ‘If you use our products unabated, your islands are going to be destroyed,’” Vic Sher, attorney for the plaintiffs, said about the defendants at Thursday’s hearing. That misinformation campaign, the lawsuit argues, is a key reason Honolulu is facing the steep costs of abating climate damages from extreme weather events. In 2020, officials from the city and county of Honolulu sued eight fossil fuel giants that allegedly knew for decades about the climate dangers of burning coal, oil and gas, yet actively hid that information from consumers and investors. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |