Puerto Rico files $1B lawsuit against oil companies for damage caused by climate change

Puerto Rico filed a lawsuit against major oil and gas companies on Monday, claiming their products caused climate damage and that they deceived the public about how harmful they were.

The lawsuit, filed by Puerto Rico Secretary of Justice Domingo Emanuelli Hernández on behalf of the territory , stated Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron, Shell and other big oil companies knew their products would pollute the island and negatively impact the climate, but did not tell consumers.

Instead, the companies carried out disinformation campaigns to discredit scientific research that showed fossil fuels produce pollutants, and created doubt in the minds of consumers, the lawsuit alleged.

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Puerto Rico claimed it spent billions cleaning up disasters induced by climate change as a result of the “lies and deceptions” of the oil and gas companies named in the lawsuit. Those disasters include recent major hurricanes and the rise of sea levels.

The lawsuit wants to hold the companies accountable and make them pay for the damages incurred.

In addition to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 37 Puerto Rican municipalities and the City of San Juan have sued the companies separately, according to a press release from the Center for Climate Integrity .

Nearly a dozen states including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota and more have filed similar lawsuits against the major fossil fuel companies, the Center for Climate Integrity said.