media advisory
20 September 2006
Climate Justice Programme and Friends of
the Earth International
landmark legal case: california sues
automobile companies for climate change
damage
A legal case filed on Septemebr 20 by the
State of California against six major car
companies asking "monetary compensation" for
climate change damage has been welcomed by
the Climate Justice Programme [1] and Friends
of the Earth International [2].
Roda Verheyen, co-Director of the Climate
Justice Programme said:
"This was a case waiting to happen. It is
the most significant piece of climate change
litigation that has ever been brought. It
shows that those who suffer damage from
climate change can seek compensation in the
courts. More of these cases will happen until
governments and companies make the deep cuts
in greenhouse gas emissions that the planet
needs. Car makers should realise that they
cannot continue business-as-usual and realise
high profits while destroying the climate by
selling high-consumption engines."
Catherine Pearce, Friends of the Earth
International's climate change coordinator,
said:
"We are delighted that California's
Attorney General is taking legal action
against these auto manufacturers. For far too
long companies like these have failed to take
appropriate action to curb the environmental
damage their activities cause. Climate Change
is the biggest threat the planet faces. It's
time industry and government across the world
got serious about tackling it.
"The US is the world's biggest polluter.
The Bush Administration must face up to its
global responsibilities. It can start by
backing this legal challenge."
This case has been brought by the State of
California on behalf of the People of
California against General Motors, Toyota,
Ford, Honda, Chrysler and Nissan in the
United States District Court for the Northern
District of California.
for more information contact
For further detailed information see the
press release by the Office of the Attorney
General of the State of California,
Department of Justice,
http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1338
The Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Ken Alex
is available for comments +1 510 622 2137
COMMENTS
can be obtained from:
Roda Verheyen, Climate Justice Programme
(Germany) Mob. + 49 179 465 2979
Catherine Pearce, Friends of the Earth
International (In London) Tel. + 44 20 7566
1723 Mob. + 44 7811 283 641
David Waskow, Friends of the Earth US
(Washington D.C.) Mobile +1 (202)
492-4660
notes to editors
[1] The Climate Justice Programme is an
initiative hosted by Friends of the Earth
International. It aims to encourage and
support the enforcement of the law
internationally to combat climate change.
Over 70 organisations and lawyers are
signatories to its Statement of Support,
including Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace,
WWF and organizations based in developing
countries. This legal action is about the
twentieth case brought around the world by
different bodies, organisations and
individuals over the last few years to combat
climate change. More information on these
initiatives, under domestic and international
legal rules, can be found via
http://www.climatelaw.org
[2] Friends of the Earth International
(FoEI) groups around the world have been in
the vanguard of successful climate change
litigation.
In the US, Friends of the Earth - US
brought a landmark climate change case
against the US export credit agencies in
2002, and in August 2005 obtained standing to
sue for the first time ever in a US court
over climate change impacts:
climatelawsuit.org
.
Friends of the Earth-US is also an
appellant in the case that the US Supreme
Court will hear concerning regulation of
carbon dioxide as a pollutant:
www.icta.org
In Germany, Bund (FOE Germany) together
with Germanwatch brought a successful action
to require the German government to disclose
details of the contribution of its export
credits to climate change:
www.climatelaw.org/media/
Germany
In Nigeria, Environmental Rights Action
(FOE Nigeria) has been supporting communities
litigating to stop gas flaring, obtaining a
successful judgment in November 2005 against
Shell due to gross human rights violations:
http://www.climatelaw.org/media/gas.flaring.suit.nov2005
Contact: Chima Williams, Environmental
Rights Action
+ 234 80 388 59477, or + 234 80 236
49890
In Argentina, after the 2003 Santa Fe
floods killed hundreds of people and caused
billions of dollars of damage, FOE Argentina
successfully used Article 6 of the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change to
reveal that infrastructure changes needed to
protect people had been drawn up but not
acted upon by the authorities. Contacts:
Roque Pedace, FOE Argentina
(pedacher@infovia.com.ar) Anna Petra Roge de
Marzolini, lawyer
(ecolapaz@lapazcoop.com.ar)
At UNESCO, Pro Public (FOE Nepal) has led
a petition to the World Heritage Committee to
add Mount Everest to the List of World
Heritage in Danger because of climate change,
resulting in the Committee adopting a world
heritage and climate change strategy in July
2006:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/262
Contact: Prakash Sharma, Pro Public, Nepal +
9771
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