Portuguese 
Spanish 
Puerto Rico’s 1 Billion Dollar Demand Against Oil Giants Seeks to Compensate Climate Damage. Understand How Fossil Fuel Companies Are Being Held Accountable
Puerto Rico filed a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies, claiming that oil and gas giants deceived the public about climate change and delayed the transition to clean energy. The lawsuit demands 1 billion dollars in damages to help Puerto Rico defend itself against climate disasters.
In a complaint filed yesterday in San Juan, the Puerto Rico Department of Justice states that the companies violated commercial law by promoting fossil fuels without properly warning about the dangers. Among those accused are ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhillips, and other energy companies.
Impact of Oil Emissions on Climate
This is the latest of a series of lawsuits attempting to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the consequences of climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels are intensifying storms and other extreme weather events, while rising sea levels erode island coastlines. Fossil fuel companies knew for decades that their products would cause global warming and yet continued their operations as usual, according to various studies and investigations.
-
Brazil’s ANP Opens 86 New Oil Blocks in the Equatorial Margin, Expanding the Amazon River Mouth Frontier
-
OPEC+ Boosts Oil Supply by 188,000 Barrels per Day in July 2026, Leading to Price Drop from $112 to $89 per Barrel in Under Two Months
-
TotalEnergies Signs 20-Year Deal to Purchase 2 Million Tons of LNG from Alaska, Boosting Project Viability
-
Turkey Deploys Çağrı Bey Drilling Ship to Explore New Oil Frontier Off Somalia’s Coast
Future Expectations and Proposed Measures
In the complaint, Puerto Rico states that it expects to pay billions of dollars in the future to face disasters exacerbated by climate change, including storms like Hurricane Maria, which killed thousands of people in 2017 and caused power outages that lasted for months.
The lawsuit asks the accused to contribute to a fund that would be used to mitigate the consequences of climate change and pay for measures to strengthen Puerto Rico’s infrastructure against future climate-related calamities.
BP declined to comment on the lawsuit. Other mentioned multinational energy companies did not immediately respond to The Verge.
The lawsuit from Puerto Rico adds to a series of climate actions against oil and gas companies.
Thirty-seven municipalitiess in Puerto Rico and the capital, San Juan, had previously filed lawsuits against fossil fuel companies, seeking to hold them accountable for the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.
“It is more important than ever for officials to confront the fossil fuel industry on behalf of their communities. The people of Puerto Rico deserve their day in court to hold the oil giants accountable,” said Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, which monitors climate cases and provides legal support, in a statement sent via email.
