In a federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday, major oil companies concurred with the “scientific consensus,” saying it was “extremely likely” that human activity has been driving global warming since the middle of the 20th century. They just don’t think they can be sued for it. “Chevron accepts what the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] has reached consensus on concerning science and climate change,” said Theodore Boutrous, who represents Chevron and is heading up the assorted legal team for the five oil companies that are defendants in this lawsuit. But, he said, that didn’t mean that a civil lawsuit was the right way to address climate change. “It’s a global issue that requires global action,” he said. Over the course of two hours, Boutrous ran through the findings of the most recent IPCC report (released in 2013), acknowledging that global temperatures were rising due to carbon dioxide caused by human activity, that other factors were negligible, and that as a result, sea levels were rising. No time was given to any denials of climate science, with Boutrous sticking closely to the substance of the IPCC report. Even his attempt at implying that his client was not at fault was framed within the substance of the IPCC report; he said that the report never said “extraction or production” of oil was the cause of carbon dioxide emissions, but rather the “economic activity” that burned fossil fuels. Judge William Alsup, who is presiding over the lawsuit, is giving the other oil companies — ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch Shell, and BP — a week to quibble with anything Boutrous said in court about climate change. “Chevron welcomes meaningful efforts to address the issue of climate change, but litigation is not an appropriate tool for accomplishing that objective,” Sean Comey, a spokesperson for Chevron, said in an emailed statement to The Verge. “Chevron provided a neutral assessment of the science based on the most recent comprehensive scientific assessment.” The other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Wednesday’s session was not a trial, or really even a hearing in the typical sense of the word. It was, in Judge Alsup’s terminology, a “tutorial” — a session in which the legal teams for both sides present background facts for his edification. It’s not discovery, it’s not evidence, and just because it was presented Wednesday, it’s not necessarily admissible for a jury in the future should this case go to trial. Nonetheless, the hearing marked a moment in which major oil companies went on the record to say that human-caused climate change is real. At this point, the science is so undeniable that it no longer makes sense for oil companies to try and refute it. https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/22/...co-oakland-lawsuits-judge-alsup-chevron-exxon
Yes, the courts have spoken, along with every climate expert on earth. Human caused global warming is a fact.
I'm not entirely sure facts matter that much.. how can they comprehend climate change when... I was talking to a young guy, 22 or something yesterday who is visiting Colombia. He wanted to rent a car and drive to Costa Rica. I explained that there is no road route through Panama, Darian forest, rebels etc.. and he got very assertive telling me I am wrong as he read someone did it in a blog and people get the bus too. Then we find out he thinks Ecuador is Costa Rica. America is kinda finished. He name was Ralph, brought this to mind. Set to play.