The town of Carrboro, North Carolina, filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing electric utility company Duke Energy of conducting a “campaign of deception about the causes of the climate crisis and the dangers posed by it.”
The municipality near Chapel Hill is the first town in the United States to challenge a power company for publicly deceiving the public about the dangers of fossils. The town’s mayor, Barbara Foushee, said she is seeking to stop using the fuel and pay damages for the harm caused by the emissions.
The lawsuit, filed in North Carolina Superior Court, alleges that Duke Energy engages in a “greenwashing” campaign to convince the public it is trying to address the climate emergency.
“Relying on these misrepresentations, the public has continued to do business with Duke under the false belief that Duke is committed to renewable energy,” the filing says.
“As we continue to fight the existential threat of climate change, we must speak truth to power,” according to a press release. “It’s costing taxpayers money,” he said.
Mayor Pro Tem Danny Nowell said, “Duke Energy is responsible for lining the pockets of its executives for decades while towns like ours work to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.” It’s time to ask the question, “This lawsuit will allow the Town of Carrboro to invest.” We will reimagine how we commit new resources to building stronger, climate-resilient communities, do justice to the damage done by our residents, and prepare for the realities of climate change. ”
More frequent and devastating storms, which scientists agree are caused by climate change, are forcing the city of Carrboro to spend millions of dollars in repairs and reinforcements to public infrastructure, according to the suit. It is said that
The complaint comes shortly after the Energy Policy Institute, a watchdog group, released a report, “Duke Energy Knew: Documenting Utilities’ Initial Knowledge and Ongoing Deceptions About Climate Change.” I was disappointed. The report says Duke Energy has been well aware of the risks posed by burning fossil fuels since the 1960s, but chose to participate in promoting disinformation about climate science. In recent years, power companies have continued to pursue fossil fuels while blocking renewable energy development, the report’s authors said. Much of this research has been referenced in lawsuits.
As an example of “deception,” the lawsuit points to Duke Energy’s participation in the Global Climate Coalition, which was created to oppose actions to curb the climate crisis.
Duke Energy was the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2021, according to a breakdown by the Institute of Political Economy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The institute ranked U.S. companies by CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.
More than 20 states, tribes, cities, and counties have filed similar climate fraud lawsuits. For example, Maine recently became the ninth state to sue a major oil and gas company for misleading the public about the role of its products in the climate crisis.
“We will soon have a climate change denier in chief in the White House, and Carrboro is a shining light in this darkness, taking on one of the nation’s biggest polluters and climate deceivers. ,” said Jean Hsu, the center’s energy justice director. For biodiversity, says the press release. The Center for Biological Diversity is advising on this matter.
