In 2020, Honolulu sued major oil and gas companies, accusing them of knowing for decades that burning fossil fuels would damage the climate, and concealing that information from the public.
Climate change, while not the only factor behind what fueled the devastation, likely contributed to the intensity of the blaze — as rising temperatures, invasive grass species, and winds strengthened by hurricanes transformed the island into a deadly tinderbox.
The court’s decision on whether to take the case could have sweeping implications: Many state and local governments across the country have filed similar challenges with claims including public and private nuisance, failure to warn, and racketeering.
In April, attorneys general in 20 states filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to review the Hawaii decision, arguing that it “endangers the rights of states to adopt their own policies with respect to energy production, environmental protection, and potentially any other activity that ‘exacerbate[s] the impacts of climate change.’” They assert that Honolulu’s lawsuit and similar actions pose a “grave threat” to “our nation’s energy infrastructure.”
Outside of RAGA, Leo’s network is spearheading its own PR campaign calling on the court to review the Honolulu case and use it to set a new precedent quashing state and local climate litigation.
As the Honolulu suit and other climate-related cases pend across the country, fossil fuel company defendants are scrambling to “sideline this litigation and avoid a trial and decision on the merits of the plaintiff governments’ claims,” says Richard Frank, a co-director at UC Davis’ California Environmental Law and Policy Center.
The original article contains 1,429 words, the summary contains 259 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
In 2020, Honolulu sued major oil and gas companies, accusing them of knowing for decades that burning fossil fuels would damage the climate, and concealing that information from the public.
Climate change, while not the only factor behind what fueled the devastation, likely contributed to the intensity of the blaze — as rising temperatures, invasive grass species, and winds strengthened by hurricanes transformed the island into a deadly tinderbox.
The court’s decision on whether to take the case could have sweeping implications: Many state and local governments across the country have filed similar challenges with claims including public and private nuisance, failure to warn, and racketeering.
In April, attorneys general in 20 states filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to review the Hawaii decision, arguing that it “endangers the rights of states to adopt their own policies with respect to energy production, environmental protection, and potentially any other activity that ‘exacerbate[s] the impacts of climate change.’” They assert that Honolulu’s lawsuit and similar actions pose a “grave threat” to “our nation’s energy infrastructure.”
Outside of RAGA, Leo’s network is spearheading its own PR campaign calling on the court to review the Honolulu case and use it to set a new precedent quashing state and local climate litigation.
As the Honolulu suit and other climate-related cases pend across the country, fossil fuel company defendants are scrambling to “sideline this litigation and avoid a trial and decision on the merits of the plaintiff governments’ claims,” says Richard Frank, a co-director at UC Davis’ California Environmental Law and Policy Center.
The original article contains 1,429 words, the summary contains 259 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!