As recently reported in The Washington Post and The New York Times, among other news outlets, the City of New York has sued the five (5) largest publicly traded oil companies for their contributions to climate change and the damage it has, and will do in the future, to the City of New York.

The City of New York has alleged that these oil companies have known the impact of climate change but publicly denied any knowledge of climate change and that the City of New York among others has been harmed through flooding and other damage.  The City has alleged that to deal with future climate change the City will be required to “build sea walls, levees, dunes, and other coastal armament, and elevate and harden a vast array of City-owned structures, properties, and parks along its coastline,” the costs of which exceed City resources.

The City of New York is not the first, and likely is not the last, municipality to sue oil companies for climate change joining municipalities in California including the City of San Francisco and the State of New York.  The State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has sued Exxon Mobil alleging executives have known since 1977 about climate risk associated with fossil fuels and covered up those findings.

Oil companies are not the only defendants in actions alleging a failure to curb climate change.  Starting in February 2018 in Oregon is a trial brought in 2015 by 21 plaintiffs between the ages of 10 and 21 alleging the Federal Government failed to curb climate change and therefore contributed to flooding, drought and health issues.