Carmakers in the dock over global warming
Michael Kahn
San Francisco: California sued six of the world’s largest automakers over global warming on Wednesday, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have caused billions of dollars in damages.
The lawsuit is the first of its kind to seek to hold manufacturers liable for the damages caused by their vehicles’ emissions, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer said. It comes less than a month after California lawmakers adopted the nation’s first global warming law mandating a cut in greenhouse gas emissions.
California has also targeted the auto industry with firstin-the-nation rules adopted in 2004 requiring carmakers to force cuts in tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks.
Automakers, however, have so far blocked those rules with their own legal action—prompting one analyst to say California’s lawsuit represents a way for California to pressure car manufacturers to accept the rules.
“That’s the objective,’’ said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit organisation that provides public research and forecasts about the industry. “They want to get the automakers basically to bow down and pay homage to the (emissions) law.’’
The complaint, which an auto industry trade group called a ‘nuisance’ suit, names General Motors, Ford Motor, Toyota Motor, the US arm of Germany’s Daimler-Chrysler AG and the North American units of Japan’s Honda Motor and Nissan Motor.
Lockyer told Reuters he would seek ‘tens or hundreds of millions of dollars’ from the automakers in the lawsuit filed in the US district court in Northern California.
Environmental groups hailed the lawsuit, saying it represented another weapon for the state as it seeks to curb greenhouse gas emissions and spur the auto industry to build vehicles that pollute less.
“(California) just passed a new law to cut global warming emissions by 25% and that’s a good start and this lawsuit is a good next step,’’ said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club’s Global Warming Program.
Ford deferred comment to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which said the lawsuit was similar to one a New York court dismissed that is now on appeal.
“Automakers will need time to review this legal complaint, however, a similar nuisance suit that was brought by attorneys-general against utilities was dismissed by a federal court in New York,’’ the industry group said in a statement. Toyota declined to comment as the company evaluates the lawsuit, while Honda said in a statement it was committed to developing environmentally responsible technology. REUTERS
Michael Kahn
San Francisco: California sued six of the world’s largest automakers over global warming on Wednesday, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have caused billions of dollars in damages.
The lawsuit is the first of its kind to seek to hold manufacturers liable for the damages caused by their vehicles’ emissions, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer said. It comes less than a month after California lawmakers adopted the nation’s first global warming law mandating a cut in greenhouse gas emissions.
California has also targeted the auto industry with firstin-the-nation rules adopted in 2004 requiring carmakers to force cuts in tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks.
Automakers, however, have so far blocked those rules with their own legal action—prompting one analyst to say California’s lawsuit represents a way for California to pressure car manufacturers to accept the rules.
“That’s the objective,’’ said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit organisation that provides public research and forecasts about the industry. “They want to get the automakers basically to bow down and pay homage to the (emissions) law.’’
The complaint, which an auto industry trade group called a ‘nuisance’ suit, names General Motors, Ford Motor, Toyota Motor, the US arm of Germany’s Daimler-Chrysler AG and the North American units of Japan’s Honda Motor and Nissan Motor.
Lockyer told Reuters he would seek ‘tens or hundreds of millions of dollars’ from the automakers in the lawsuit filed in the US district court in Northern California.
Environmental groups hailed the lawsuit, saying it represented another weapon for the state as it seeks to curb greenhouse gas emissions and spur the auto industry to build vehicles that pollute less.
“(California) just passed a new law to cut global warming emissions by 25% and that’s a good start and this lawsuit is a good next step,’’ said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club’s Global Warming Program.
Ford deferred comment to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which said the lawsuit was similar to one a New York court dismissed that is now on appeal.
“Automakers will need time to review this legal complaint, however, a similar nuisance suit that was brought by attorneys-general against utilities was dismissed by a federal court in New York,’’ the industry group said in a statement. Toyota declined to comment as the company evaluates the lawsuit, while Honda said in a statement it was committed to developing environmentally responsible technology. REUTERS