Chicago, Nation’s Third Largest City, Joins ‘Historic Wave’ of Climate Lawsuits Against Big Oil

The City of Chicago is suing five of the planet’s biggest oil and gas companies and a trade group over their contributions to climate change, saying they misled the public about how their fossil fuel products contribute to extreme heat, flooding and other impacts on residents of the Windy City.

On Tuesday, the administration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson filed a lawsuit against Chevron, BP, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips and Shell, saying the oil giants not only deceived the public, but discredited science as the climate crisis escalated, reported the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Evidence shows that these Defendants intentionally misled Chicago residents about the climate change-related dangers associated with their oil and gas products. If unabated, climate change could result in catastrophic impacts on our city,” said Mary Richardson-Lowry, corporation counsel for the City of Chicago, in a press release from the Office of the Mayor. “We bring this lawsuit to ensure that the Defendants who have profited from the deception campaign bear responsibility for their conduct.”

The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, also named the American Petroleum Institute as a defendant. The city accused the trade group of conspiring with oil companies in promoting disinformation campaigns, while at the same time having knowledge of the realities of climate change, said the Chicago Sun-Times.

“There is no justice without accountability,” Johnson said in the press release. “From the unprecedented poor air quality that we experienced last summer to the basement floodings that our residents on the West Side experienced, the consequences of this crisis are severe, as are the costs of surviving them. That is why we are seeking to hold these Defendants accountable.”

The complaint alleges ten causes of action in the defendants’ role in contributing to climate change, including negligence, failure to warn, public nuisance, civil conspiracy and unjust enrichment.

The city is asking that the oil companies be held responsible for the costs of infrastructure needed to adapt to climate change, as well as damage to property, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

“These companies knowingly deceived Chicago consumers in their endless pursuit of profits,” said Chicao Alderman Matt Martin in the press release from the mayor’s office. “As a result of their conduct, Chicago is enduring extreme heat and precipitation, flooding, sewage flows into Lake Michigan, damage to city infrastructure, and more. That all comes with enormous costs. But both the facts, and the law, are on our side, and we intend to shift those costs back where they belong: on the companies whose deceptive conduct brought us the climate crisis.” 

Since 2017, cities in Colorado, California, New York, Oregon, Mayland, South Carolina, Hawaii and Puerto Rico have brought similar suits, a press release from the Center for Climate Integrity said, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Residents of Chicago have dealt with heat waves, warmer winters with less snow, increased heavy rain and less ice on Lake Michigan since 1980.

In order to fix existing damage and build the new infrastructure that will stand up to more extreme weather, the lawsuit said the city is planning nearly $200 million in investments to safeguard its most vulnerable areas.

“The climate change impacts that Chicago has faced and will continue to face — including more frequent and intense storms, flooding, droughts, extreme heat events, and shoreline erosion — are felt throughout every part of the city and disproportionately in low-income communities,” the lawsuit states, as Common Dreams reported.

The suit referred to the finding that last year was the hottest on record and that extremely hot days were predicted to increase, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“Big Oil has lied to the American people for decades about the catastrophic climate risks of their products, and now Chicago and communities across the country are rightfully insisting they pay for the damage they’ve caused,” said President of the Center for Climate Integrity Richard Wiles in a statement. “With Chicago, the nation’s third largest city, joining the fray, there is no doubt that we are witnessing a historic wave of lawsuits that could finally hold Big Oil accountable for the climate crisis they knowingly caused.”