Shell and Big Oil Get Slapped Down by SCOTUS—But They’re Still Laughing All the Way to BlackRock

Shell and Big Oil Get Slapped Down by SCOTUS—But They’re Still Laughing All the Way to BlackRock

WASHINGTON — In a glorious twist of “are you kidding me?” news, the Supreme Court just refused to block a wave of climate lawsuits from California and other states—lawsuits that could demand billions of dollars in damages from the usual suspects, including everyone’s favorite polluting overlord, Shell. And guess what? They did it all without a single comment or dissent. That’s right: The highest court in the land just gave Big Oil the silent treatment.

Now, just to keep the drama alive, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. refused to partake in this reality show—apparently because he owns stock in some of these carbon-spewing juggernauts.

This all started when states like California decided they’d had enough of Big Oil’s bullshit—shockingly, Shell and friends have been spewing carbon while allegedly trying to hide exactly how disastrous that is for the planet. According to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, these companies conducted a “decades-long campaign of deception,” forcing Californians to foot the bill for wildfires, rising sea levels, heatwaves, and all the other joys of climate catastrophe. In Newsom’s own words: “For more than 50 years, Big Oil has been lying to us — covering up the fact that they’ve long known how dangerous the fossil fuels they produce are for our planet.”

But hey, no big deal if you’re one of Shell’s major investors, like BlackRock, right? It’s only the fate of humanity at stake. Go ahead and plunk down more money; apparently, moral qualms or a planet to inhabit don’t factor into that shiny portfolio.

Of course, Shell and Sunoco tried to whine to the Supreme Court that climate change lawsuits should be a federal matter—you know, because global phenomenon, not our fault, etc. But the justices swiped left on that plea, letting about two dozen state and municipal lawsuits roll forward. Those lawsuits say Big Oil misled the public about the true dangers of fossil fuels. “This suit does not seek to regulate emissions and does not seek damages for interstate emissions,” the Hawaii Supreme Court explained in a unanimous opinion about the similar case in Honolulu. “Rather, plaintiffs’ complaint clearly seeks to challenge the promotion and sale of fossil-fuel products without warning and abetted by a sophisticated disinformation campaign.”

In other words, the folks who helped cause the climate crisis might finally face some accountability for their decades of dirty dealing—kind of like the tobacco industry did for cigarettes and Big Pharma did for opioids. Except that in this twisted fiasco, the entire planet is the victim.

Right-wing states like Alabama are squealing about “liberal judges” and “blue-state lawsuits,” insisting that they shouldn’t have to abide by clean air or water or logic. But guess what? The Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on that argument yet, which means it might be a while before we find out if Big Oil’s meltdown intensifies or gets a new lease on life.

Meanwhile, Shell—ever the gold medalist in corporate cynicism—goes on pumping out profits and planet-cooking gases, while many of its biggest investors keep piling in. Because apparently, if you can squeeze a few more bucks out of Mother Earth before she burns, that’s a worthwhile investment strategy.

So yes, the suits from California, Honolulu, and a whole bunch of other cities are moving forward. Cue ominous music for the oil industry. Just don’t hold your breath for Shell or its buddies to have an epiphany and voluntarily stop torching the planet—especially when they’re raking in billions and being bankrolled by big institutional investors who can’t see past their monthly returns.

And that, folks, is your daily “What the Fuck” moment brought to you by Shell and its partners in climate crime. Stay tuned to see if the courts can actually rein in the greed. Or if we’ll all just watch the Earth go up in flames while corporate executives and investors toast each other with champagne. Cheers.

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