The counties that house two of Colorado’s most iconic tourist destinations are filing a joint lawsuit which claims two of the oil industry’s largest players, Exxon Mobile and Suncor Energy are accelerating a warming climate across the globe and as such are hurting mountain tourism.
Related: When someone tells you, “The climate is always changing,” show them this cartoon
Legal documents filed by the two counties as well as the City of Boulder state that the two corporations have largely contributed to increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere worldwide, thus harming tourism and bottom lines within these municipalities.
The three municipal/county entities in the case claim that Exxon and Suncor have had a “substantial role” in global warming.
The counties and municipality are currently seeking financial compensation for losses they sustain each year thanks to climate change. They include but are not limited to losses related to drought, low snow winters, and wildfire damages. This year, Telluride saw a meager total season snowfall of 171″. The average annual snowfall for Telluride is roughly 300″.
The plaintiffs in the case say that Suncor alone emitted some one million metric tons of green house gases during 2016 reports Nasdaq. Those emissions continue to rise as Colorado continues to grow exponentially.
Find the entire Nasdaq article here: Famous Ski Towns Sue Oil Giants For Climate Change
