At the end of March 2022, a Hawai‘i trial court entered orders denying fossil fuel companies’ motions to dismiss Honolulu’s climate change lawsuit for failure to state a claim and for lack of personal jurisdiction. The orders finalized the court’s earlier rulings denying the motions. In the order on the motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, the court was persuaded by Honolulu’s characterization of its claims as traditional tort law claims. The court concluded that federal common law did not govern or preempt Honolulu’s claims and that the Clean Air Act did not preempt them. In the order on the motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, the court found that Honolulu made a prima facie showing for specific jurisdiction for the oil company defendants but rejected Honolulu’s argument that there was general jurisdiction as to two oil company defendants based on the alter ego theory.

Lawsuit seeking damages and other relief from fossil fuel companies for alleged conduct that the City and County of Honolulu contends actually and proximately caused climate change impacts.

City & County of Honolulu v. Sunoco LP

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Hawai‘i State Court Issued Final Orders Denying Oil and Gas Companies’ Motions to Dismiss Honolulu’s Climate Case but Granted Mining Company’s Motion

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

Risks to the ecosystem health of the marine environment, including ocean warming, ocean acidification, and ocean deoxygenation, harming biodiversity, species health, ecosystem services, and coastal community livelihoods.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

This sector creates and distributes information and entertainment through television, radio, print, and digital platforms.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Hawai‘i State Court Issued Final Orders Denying Oil and Gas Companies’ Motions to Dismiss Honolulu’s Climate Case but Granted Mining Company’s Motion

Policy instrument

Risk

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector