Washington D.C. – Phil Goldberg, Special Counsel for the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project, issued the following statement in response to Bucks County, Pennsylvania filing a lawsuit against manufacturers over the impacts of climate change.

“We share Bucks County’s desire to address the challenge of climate change, but this litigation is not the type of action that is going to lead to meaningful solutions. It has no legal merit, which is why federal courts have already rejected similar cases. As the U.S. Supreme Court cautioned more than a decade ago, courts are simply not the appropriate places to decide climate policy. 

The challenge of our time is developing technologies and public policies so that the world can produce and use energy in ways that are sustainable for the planet while being affordable to people. It should not be figuring out how to creatively plead lawsuits that seek to monetize climate change, will raise the cost of energy on American families and businesses, and provide no solutions.”