CIEL: Eight states file global warming lawsuit against utilities, bolstering claim by Inuit that US greenhouse gas emissions violate their human rights.

July 2004

Eight states - California, Connecticut, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin - and the City of New York filed a claim today against five of the nation's largest power companies. These companies account for about 10% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, and the lawsuit seeks to compel the utilities to curtail their emissions of this greenhouse gas. Doing so will reduce the utilities' contribution to global warming, which the suit alleges has injured the people of those states and violated their rights to use and protection of their natural resources.

This lawsuit echoes the contention of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference that U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases are in large measure responsible for the extreme warming taking place in the Arctic. This warming trend has damaged Inuit property and made hunting and fishing difficult and dangerous. The approximately 150,000 Inuit residing in the Arctic rely on their ability to hunt and fish to maintain their lifestyle and culture.

In December 2003, at a CIEL-sponsored event, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, announced the intention of the organization to file a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The petition will aver that the United States has violated the human rights of the Inuit by failing to take measures to curtail its greenhouse gas emissions. The United States is responsible for approximately 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it the world's largest emitter.