Filipino joins int’l climate case against oil company
A FILIPINO has joined seven other citizens of multiple nations in filing a transnational criminal case against the world’s sixth-biggest carbon emitter.
Frank Nicol M. Marba, 29, of Dinagat Islands, is among the multi-national plaintiffs suing an oil company’s board and main shareholders for contributing to climate change and its devastating effects on lives.
The petition is suing the company for deliberately endangering the lives of others, involuntary manslaughter, neglecting to address a disaster, and damaging biodiversity. Each offense is punishable by at least one year of imprisonment and a fine.
“We demand [the company] to pay not just for the destruction of our properties, but more importantly for the loss of our livelihood and the trauma that we are still dealing with up to now,” Mr. Marba said in a statement.
Mr. Marba claimed that his family’s house was damaged and that his grandmother got sick after super typhoon Odette in 2021.
It is the second most destructive typhoon to hit the Philippines after typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
About P3.9 billion in damages to infrastructure and agriculture were recorded with 34,000 families adversely affected.
The other plaintiffs are from Pakistan, Zimbabwe, France, Belgium, Greece, Australia, and Mexico. The case was filed in Paris, France last May 21.
Despite the International Energy Agency recommending the stop to new fossil fuel projects since 2021, the international oil company kept opening oil and gas sites around the planet, Greenpeace said.
“Oil and gas companies must take accountability for their role in abetting the climate crisis,” it said. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
