Azul Applauds State of California Lawsuit to Hold Big Oil Accountable for Climate Crisis, Health and Environmental Impacts
For Immediate Release
Monday, September 18th, 2023
Media Contacts
Betsy López-Wagner, López-Wagner Strategies, betsy@equitablecomms.com
Maeve Stewart, López-Wagner Strategies, maeve@equitablecomms.com
Azul Applauds State of California Lawsuit to Hold Big Oil Accountable for Climate Crisis, Health and Environmental Impacts
San Francisco, California (Sept. 18, 2023) – Azul, a Latinx-led and serving environmental justice organization working to protect the ocean and coasts, releases the following statement on behalf of Marce Gutierrez-Graudiņš, Azul’s founder and executive director:
“Big Oil created the very environmental and ocean injustices Azul fights alongside our Latinx communities today. As the state with the largest economy to ever pursue action against Big Oil, we applaud California’s leadership in holding Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, Chevron and the American Petroleum Institute accountable for the health, environmental and climate impacts they’ve created.”
“Big Oil knew, they lied, they profited – and they put the health and safety of our communities here and around the world in grave jeopardy for more than 60 years, and they continue in their deception and pollution, costing us billions of dollars in health and environmental impacts – and most importantly, the right to healthy communities.”
The State of California lawsuit, announced September 16th, 2023, reads in part:
“Defendants’ deceptive and tortious conduct was a substantial factor in bringing about these devastating climate change impacts in California, including, but not limited to, extreme heat, more frequent and intense droughts, increasingly severe wildfires, more frequent and intense storms and associated flooding, degradation of air and water quality, damage to agriculture, sea level rise, and habitat and species loss. As a direct result of Defendants’ egregious misconduct, the State has incurred significant climate change harms, and will continue to incur such harms into the future. The associated consequences of these physical and environmental changes are felt throughout every part of the State, across all ecosystems and communities, and can be compounded in frontline communities, which often disproportionately bear the burden of climate impacts.”
More information: More than 40 states and municipalities, including eight municipalities across California, are pursuing or have pursued similar actions.
The move to sue Big Oil companies comes as SB253 sits on Governor Newsom’s desk which would require U.S. corporations earning more than $1 billion – approximately 5,300 who are doing business in California – to annually report their global emissions of carbon dioxide and other polluting and climate-accelerating gasses. As of 2013, California is the 7th largest oil-producing state.
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Azul is a Latinx-led and serving environmental justice organization working to protect the ocean and coasts. It was founded in 2011 to bring Latinxs perspectives and participation to ocean conservation and has long advocated for environmental justice and equity in the state of California, across the nation and at international levels. Learn more at www.azul.org.