Oregon’s most populous county is suing numerous oil and gas companies for damages caused by the deadly 2021 heatwave that would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change. Portland’s Multnomah County seeks $50 million for damages caused by the heatwave that killed 800 people, and $50 billion for climate adaptation. The lawsuit names Shell, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Koch Industries, ExxonMobil and others profiting off causing the climate crisis.
“At the core, this lawsuit is about fairness and accountability for these giant oil companies who have record profits, who have known about the damage that their products do to our environment and who have been using pseudoscience, disinformation and outright lies for decades,” Multnomah County chair Jessica Vega Pederson told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “They have prevented us from making the changes needed to protect our climate and protect our community.” (The Oregonian/OregonLive, AP, Axios, NPR, The Hill, Quartz; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves)