Tribes Sue Six Oil Giants for #ClimateDeception

"These oil companies knew their products were dangerous, yet they did nothing to mitigate those dangers or warn any of us about them, for decades," said the chairwoman of the #ShoalwaterBay Indian Tribe.

Julia Conley
Dec 20, 2023

"Two Indigenous tribes in #WashingtonState said Wednesday that they intend to force several oil giants 'to help pay for the high costs of surviving the catastrophe caused by the #ClimateCrisis,' as they filed lawsuits in the state's largest trial court.

"The #Makah Indian Tribe and Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe filed two separate complaints in King County Superior Court against #ExxonMobil, #Shell, #Chevron, #BP, #ConocoPhillips, and #Phillips66, saying the defendants must be held 'accountable for their deceptive and unfair conduct, and pay for the damage their deceptive conduct has caused and will cause for decades to come.'

"The lawsuits—among dozens filed against #BigOil since 2017—detail the extent to which the companies have long known that their fossil fuel extraction would drive planetary heating and the resulting #SeaLevelRise, #ExtremeWeather, #PublicHealth crises, and other impacts of the climate crisis, which now costs the U.S. roughly $150 billion per year just in damages from #hurricanes and other weather disasters.

"'We are seeing the effects of the climate crisis on our people, our land, and our resources. The costs and consequences to us are overwhelming,' said Timothy Greene Sr., chairman of the Makah Tribal Council. 'We intend to hold these companies accountable for hiding the truth about climate change and the effects of burning fossil fuels.'"

https://www.commondreams.org/news/tribes-sue-oil-companies

#ExxonLied #BigOilLied #Lawsuits #IndigenousPeoples #ClimateCrisis #LandStewards #Stewardship #IndigenousNews
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