US judge rejects climate change lawsuit against oil

San Francisco (AP) – A US judge who held a hearing on climate change and received general attention Monday said Congress and the president were best placed to address the issue of fossil fuels in global warming. oil companies responsible for the changing environment of the Earth.

Noting that the world has also benefited significantly from oil and other fossil fuels, Judge William Alsup said the questions on how to balance the "positives of global energy against its role" in global warming "require the expertise of our environmental agencies, our diplomats, our executive, and at least the Senate. "

"The problem deserves a solution on a larger scale than can be provided by a district judge or jury in a public nuisance case," he said.

Alsup's decision was taken by lawsuits filed by San Francisco and Oakland that accused Chevron, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, BP and Royal Dutch Shell of the fact that fossil fuels posed serious risks to the environment, while promoting them as environmentally responsible.

The lawsuits said the companies have created a public nuisance and should pay for the sea walls and other infrastructure to protect themselves from the effects of climate change – a construction that could cost billions of dollars.

The Oakland City Attorney's offices did not immediately make comments. John Cote, a spokesman for the San Francisco city prosecutor's office, said the office was reviewing the decision and would decide on next steps "shortly", but that the trial had "forced a court to conduct searches on the climate ".

"We are pleased that the court has recognized that the science of global warming is no longer disputed," he said.

New York City, several California counties and at least one other California city have filed similar lawsuits.

The companies said the federal law controls the production of fossil fuels, and Congress has encouraged the development of oil and gas. The harm that cities claimed was "speculative" and was part of a complex chain of events that included billions of oil and gas users and "environmental phenomena occurring around the world." for several decades, "they said in court documents.

Jay Timmons, President and CEO of the National Manufacturers Association, applauded the decision in a statement. "From the moment these unfounded prosecutions were filed, we argued that the courtroom was not the appropriate place to meet this global challenge," Timmons said.

At an unusual hearing in March, Mr. Alsup invited the world's leading experts on climate change to inform him of the science behind the warming of the Earth.

The nearly five-hour audience focused on topics such as the history of climate change research, the role of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, the melting of ice caps, the Rising sea level and extreme weather conditions.

In Monday's ruling, the judge said he agreed to the "broad scientific consensus" that burning fossil fuels has contributed to global warming and rising sea levels. But he asked if it would be right to ignore our own responsibility in the use of fossil fuels and to blame global warming on those who provided what we had requested.