The lawsuit alleges big oil and coal companies concealed evidence over climate change that led to devastating effects (In image: Devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017)|U.S. Department of Agriculture|Public Domain Mark 1.0

Around 16 towns in Puerto Rico have filed a class-action lawsuit against fossil fuel companies, accusing them of suppressing evidence of climate change that has devastated the island.

The lawsuit alleges that oil and coal giants—like ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron—formed the non-profit Global Climate Coalition (GCC) in 1989 to, “influence, advertise, and promote the interests of the fossil fuel industry by giving false information to their consumers and the public at large.”

This is the first-ever climate change RICO case. The 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act has been used so far to target criminal organizations on the island.

The plaintiffs
The 16 communities that filed the lawsuit were victims of the Irma and Maria hurricanes that ravaged Puerto Rico in September 2017. The natural calamities devastated the Caribbean island, Hurricane Maria caused over 3,000 deaths.