Puerto Rican Towns sue Oil Majors for fraudulent marketing of fossil fuels

Reuters has reported that sixteen Puerto Rican cities and towns are suing oil majors including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell in federal court under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act for allegedly denying the existence of climate change, Reuters reported Tuesday. The towns argue that oil firms created a multi-billion dollar marketing campaign to convince the public that fossil fuels don’t harm the climate. The suit aims to make the oil majors financially liable for the damage in Puerto Rico from the 2017 hurricane season. This is first of its kind litigation and could be precedential for developing countries looking to sue fossil fuel majors for climate harms.

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