City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s statement in response to the climate change tutorial
SAN FRANCISCO (March 21, 2018) — City Attorney Dennis Herrera issued the following statement after today’s court tutorial in his climate change lawsuit against five oil and gas companies:
“What we saw in court today was telling. The science is clear. No credible scientist disputes it. And the outcome of global warming – as the petroleum industry has known for decades – will be globally catastrophic.
It’s time for these oil companies to acknowledge what they’ve tried to hide from the public for years. Our planet is warming, and the scientific consensus is clear. Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are by far the dominant cause of global warming. That is the stark truth.
These companies have made enormous profits while putting our cities in harm’s way. Now, the bill has come due. It’s time for them to pay for the seawalls and other infrastructure needed to protect San Francisco and Oakland.
What we saw today was one oil company begrudgingly accept the scientific consensus while trying to overemphasize the extent of scientific uncertainty. The other four major oil companies refused to even participate or recognize the court has jurisdiction over them. Apparently they think they’re above the law. Justice may be blind, but she is nobody’s fool.”
The cases are: People of the State of California v. BP P.L.C. et al., San Francisco Superior Court Case No. CGC 17-561370, filed Sept. 19, 2017. People of the State of California v. BP P.L.C. et al., Alameda County Superior Court Case No. RG17875889, filed Sept. 19, 2017.
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