California on Wednesday announced that it has filed a civil suit against six US and Japanese automakers for their alleged contribution to global warming, a first such legal fight in the United States.
"Global warming is causing significant harm to California's environment, economy, agriculture and public health. The impacts are already costing millions of dollars, and the price tag is increasing," Attorney General Bill Lockyer said after filing suit Tuesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
"Vehicle emissions are the single most rapidly growing source of the carbon emissions contributing to global warming, yet the federal government and automakers have refused to act. It is time to hold these companies responsible for their contribution to this crisis," he said.
The defendants named in the complaint are the Chrysler Motors Corporation, General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Toyota Motor North America, Inc., Honda North America and Nissan North America.
These carmakers are "among the world's largest contributors to global warming and the adverse impacts on California," the suit charges.
The suit is the first of its kind seeking to hold manufacturers liable for damages allegedly caused by greenhouse gases produced by their vehicles.
California, the richest and most populous US state, has more than 35 million people and some 32 million registered vehicles. The biggest metropolitan area, Los Angeles, usually tops the list of the most polluted US cities.
Authorities in California, led by Republican actor-turned-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, have broken with US President George W. Bush on environmental issues. Schwarzenegger has said he will sign greenhouse gas-reducing legislation making California the first US state to commit to adhering to the Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol sets out measures for tackling greenhouse gas pollution.
Carmakers have created a public nuisance, the suit charges, by producing "millions of vehicles that collectively emit massive quantities of carbon dioxide," a greenhouse gas that traps atmospheric heat and causes global warming.
"Global warming has already injured California, its environment, its economy, and the health and well-being of its citizens," the lawsuit charges.
"California is responding to the ongoing impacts and the inevitable additional future impacts of global warming. The state is spending millions of dollars on planning, monitoring, and infrastructure changes to address a large spectrum of current and anticipated impacts."
