The state of California has filed suit against the world’s six largest
automakers, asking the court to force them to pay for environmental
damage caused by the emissions of their vehicles.
The suit, filed in United States District Court in Northern
California, is the first such attempt to hold automakers accountable for
the greenhouse gases that vehicles produce. It accuses General Motors,
Toyota, Ford, Honda, Chrysler and Nissan of creating a public nuisance
by building millions of vehicles that collectively discharge 289 million
metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually.
