“Based on their own research, these companies understood decades ago that their products were causing climate change and would have devastating environmental impacts down the road,” said Platkin said in a statement. “They went to great lengths to hide the truth and mislead the people of New Jersey, and the world."
The suit seeks civil penalties and damages, including for damage to natural resources such as wetlands, alleging that taxpayers will have to pay billions of dollars to protect communities from rising sea levels, deadlier storms, and other harmful effects and arguing that those costs should be paid by the defendants.
The Shell Group said in a statement that its position on climate change “has been a matter of public record for decades" and the company agreed action was needed and it was playing its part “by addressing our own emissions and helping customers to reduce theirs."