NYC Battles Oil Giants Over Ad Claims
Exxon oil refinery in Texas
Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images
New York City this week will try to revive greenwashing claims against BP, ExxonMobil, and Shell, in a major test of the city’s consumer protection law, Beth Wang reports.
The city claims the oil giants marketed their products as being more environmentally friendly than they are, and overstated their efforts to address climate change. A state trial court dismissed the case, ruling the city was trying to “have it both ways” by arguing that consumers are aware of the environmental impact of fossil fuels while simultaneously being duped by the companies’ advertising. ...