Shell and Friends’ Climate Change Lies: Another Lawsuit Calls Out Big Oil’s Deception

“These companies have known since at least the 1950s that their ways of doing business were having calamitous effects on our planet, and rather than change what they were doing or raise the alarm, they lied to all of us.”

Posted by John Donovan 27 March 2024

In a move that surprises exactly no one who’s been paying attention to the planet literally burning, Bucks County, nestled in suburban Philadelphia, has taken a bold step in joining the chorus of voices suing Big Oil for their epic saga of deception regarding climate change.

Bucks County, in its lawsuit against a handful of oil behemoths, points fingers at these corporate giants for a litany of sins, including but not limited to, more storms than a Shakespearean tragedy, flooding that would make Noah blush, and heat waves that would melt the polar ice caps faster than you can say “polar bear.” Oh, and let’s not forget the casualties—like the seven unfortunate souls who met their watery demise in a flash flood last summer, courtesy of climate change’s MVPs: oil companies.

Gene DiGirolamo, a county commissioner, hit the nail on the head, stating, “These companies have known since at least the 1950s that their ways of doing business were having calamitous effects on our planet, and rather than change what they were doing or raise the alarm, they lied to all of us.” Bravo, Gene, bravo. It’s about time someone called out these oil overlords for their millennia-long charade.

But wait, there’s more! This lawsuit isn’t just a Bucks County affair—it’s a nationwide symphony of discontent against the oil oligarchy. From California to Puerto Rico, local governments are finally standing up to the bullies in their fossil-fueled playground, demanding restitution for the havoc wreaked upon Mother Earth.

And how do the oil giants respond? With all the grace of a bull in a china shop. Chevron’s attorney, Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., tries to deflect responsibility faster than you can say “oil spill,” claiming that addressing climate change needs a coordinated international effort. Sure, because nothing says “coordinated international effort” like oil companies knowingly pushing us towards planetary annihilation.

Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute (API), that bastion of environmental stewardship, insists that local governments and courts have no business meddling in the affairs of the mighty oil empire. After all, who cares about the little people when there are profits to be made, right?

But fear not, dear reader, for there is hope on the horizon. Despite setbacks like the dismissal of New York City’s lawsuit against five oil giants, the tide is turning. The people are waking up, smelling the fumes, and realizing that maybe, just maybe, the real villains aren’t the monsters under the bed, but the ones holding the keys to our fossil-fueled nightmares.