Please invest in Our Daily Planet today, by making a one time or monthly contribution.
We do not charge our readers a subscription fee for our content. We want to continue to grow our readership, particularly among millennials and public servants. Voluntary contributions from readers will help us employ interns and freelance journalists, expand our content, and reach a larger audience.
If you make a contribution of $150 or more, you will become an official “Friend of the Planet” and receive a Friend of the Planet T-shirt or water bottle.
Our Daily Planet is a daily morning email (M-F) to keep you informed of the stories shaping our environment. If these issues matter to you, we’d like to be the best ten minutes of your morning.
As Maui, Hawaii begins its “managed retreat” from its coastline due to sea-level rise caused by climate change, the county filed a lawsuit this week against big oil companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and ConocoPhillips to pay the costs of the move. The suit alleges that the companies knew that their products produced damaging greenhouse gasses that accelerated rising global temperatures, and hid those risks from the county’s businesses and citizens in order to maximize their profits. The case joins a growing number of similar lawsuits from cities and governments across the country, including suits filed by Baltimore and New York City.
Why This Matters: Maui’s economy is highly reliant on tourism — and what makes it an attractive destination are things like scenic coastal roads and beach hotels. On the island of Maui, 3,100 acres of land, 760 structures, and 11.2 miles of major roads, totaling over $3.2 billion in assets, are at risk of being destroyed by rising sea levels by the year 2100. Fire is a big problem there too, and 2019 was the hottest year on record for Maui. The losses to the county and local businesses due to climate change are huge and there are documents that show that the oil companies knew of the impacts their products would cause. That ought to make the oil companies nervous.
Climate Impacts Are Real and Costly Now For Cities And States
The losses claimed in this litigation are real and can be tied directly to climate change, For example, in Hawaii, ports and airports that bring tourists and resources to and from the island are threatened. The lawsuit explains, “since the county is almost entirely dependent upon imported food, fuel, and material, the vulnerability of ports and airports to extreme events, sea-level rise, and increasing wave heights is of serious concern. The lawsuit states that nothing will be safe from this catastrophic damage; cultural heritage sites, burial grounds, residences, and the habitats of native and endangered species all face destruction. If the county wins, the oil companies will have to help the island build infrastructure to prevent damage from wildfires and rising sea levels and support residents and businesses negatively impacted in the future.
But, but, but despite these strong claims, there is a question about whether these cases should be heard in state or federal courts. Cities, states, and counties have filed most of their cases in state courts where local laws are more relevant to the unique dangers they face from climate change. Corporations argue that cases belong in federal courts, where they’ve successfully argued in previous cases that issues of climate are best left to Congress’ discretion. The issue of state versus federal courts will soon be settled by the Supreme Court. And President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, if confirmed, will likely tip the scales in favor of fossil fuel companies and make it even more difficult to win climate cases. Barrett has ties to big oil and her father spent most of his legal career working for Shell.
On Monday, The New York Times (NYT) and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published extensive editorials on the climate provisions of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan. The two headlines say it all. The NYT’s read “Trump Abandoned the Climate. This Is Biden’s Moment,” while the WSJ’s called the plan “The Green New Deal, In Disguise.” […]
by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer Ahead of President Biden’s virtual Earth Day climate summit, more than 300 businesses and investors are urging the president to set ambitious 2030 emissions goals. Since rejoining the Paris agreement on his first day in office, Biden’s administration has yet to release an updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) but has promised to do so before […]
by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer Last Thursday, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) introduced the Orphaned Wells Cleanup and Jobs Act of 2021 which would authorize nearly $8 billion in grant funding for abandoned oil and gas well cleanup projects across the nation. Methane emissions from abandoned wells threaten to derail President Biden’s climate goals, but dozens of […]
Subscribe to the email that top lawmakers, renowned scientists, and thousands of concerned citizens turn to each morning for the latest environmental news and analysis.
Want the lastest climate news summarized for you each morning?
Our Daily Planet is your daily dose of the stories shaping our world and the ways that you can take action. From the climate crisis to the protection of biodiversity, if these issues matter to you then please subscribe & stay informed!
Your privacy is Important! We promise never to use your email address to send you spam or advertisements.