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New York City sues companies that pollute too much

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written by Hélène Lavoyer · January 15, 2018 · 0 comment

Companies that pollute too much sued by New York City

News Mondays - Hélène Lavoyer

Bill de Blasio, freshly re-elected mayor of New York City, announced on Wednesday January 10 that he had initiated legal proceedings against five major oil companies. Why? These companies are contributing to global warming.

«We're leading the fight against climate change by taking on the fossil fuel companies directly, who knew the effects and intentionally misled the public in order to protect their profits.»

Indeed, Big Apple officials are demanding billions in compensation for past, present and future damage caused by climate change - from rising sea levels and soaring temperatures to natural disasters that are angrier than ever before.

On the same day, de Blasio and Scott Stringer (the city's comptroller) declared their intention to withdraw $5 billion from pension funds invested in the fossil fuel industry. This would bring the total down to $189 billion, representing the largest divestment in the history of U.S. municipalities. The aim would be to exempt public pensions from fossil fuels by 2022.

The beginning of the end for the oil, coal and gas sectors? This is not impossible, since this reduction is not an isolated case; Swisse Re or Allianz insurance companies and the universities of Oxford (England) or Stanford (California) have also taken steps to disinvest funds destined for this sector.

While it's good that the mayor is taking real action to bring about change in the political world, aren't these measures premature? Linda Kelly, a U.S. attorney, said that the attack ironically came «at a time when New Yorkers are dependent on natural gas and heating oil (derived from petroleum) to cope with the extreme cold of this winter season.»

Apart from the question of viability, opinions differ: on the one hand, de Blasio's praises are sung by environmental activists for his courage. On the other, de Blasio's actions are seen as a ploy to boost his popularity.

On the defendants« side, silence reigns supreme. With the exception of Shell, whose representative - Curtis Smith - declared that climate change »is a complex societal phenomenon that should be addressed with sound government policy." While we agree with this statement, no reform comes without exceptional measures, and its partnership with Shell inevitably manipulates its discourse.

One thing remains certain: this first offensive against the fossil fuel industry will have left its mark, and it is to be hoped that other political actions will follow. Given the urgency of the situation - the world's coasts are already having to cope with problems linked to rising water levels - such action, even without immediate results, may well convince people of the need to give renewable energies a whole new potential.