San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico
In July 2024, the Puerto Rico Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in the San Juan Court of First Instance against multinational energy and petrochemical companies and their subsidiaries, in order to compensate for the environmental damage caused to the Island through illegal business practices.
The Department of Justice demanded $1 billion in damages from the defendants Exxon Mobil Corporation, BP PLC, Chevron Corporation, Chevron Phillips Chemical Puerto Rico Core, LLC, ConocoPhillips, Shell PLC, Station Managers of Puerto Rico, Inc., Total Energies and Total Energies Marketing PR Corp.
The plaintiff argued that, despite these companies' knowledge that their products have caused and will continue to cause severe damage and pollution to Puerto Rico and its natural resources, the defendants have distributed, marketed, and promoted their products through unfair and deceptive trade practices. They further allege that the defendants implemented sophisticated communication and public relations campaigns to mislead people about the effects of using fossil fuels.
As a consequence, the people of Puerto Rico will spend billions of dollars to clean up disasters caused by climate change, such as coastal erosion caused by rising sea levels, the formation of increasingly frequent and severe storms, extreme flooding, destruction of coral reefs and mangrove forests, degradation of air and water quality, loss of habitats and species, among other devastating impacts of climate change on the Island.
Among the main arguments, the plaintiff asserted that these companies have known for decades that greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuel products would have adverse impacts on the global climate and sea levels. With this knowledge, they took steps to protect their own assets from climate damage and risks through massive internal investment in research, infrastructure improvements, and plans to exploit new business opportunities in a warming world. However, they failed to truthfully warn Puerto Rican consumers about the consequences of using and burning fossil fuels on the island, as well as their impact on the environment. Therefore, it is time for them to mitigate the damage they have caused to Puerto Rico and not make Puerto Ricans foot the bill.
The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants continue to mislead the public by deceptively promoting their products as beneficial to the climate, and that they themselves are misled into advocating for a shift towards a low-carbon future without warning that their products are the main drivers of the climate crisis.
In addition to the damage caused to the environment, the lawsuit filed includes causes of action for unfair and deceptive acts or practices in commerce, liability for damages caused by products, public nuisance and punitive damages, because the culpable acts or omissions of the defendants were carried out willfully or with serious disregard for life, safety and property.
This action also seeks to compel the defendants to contribute to an equitable fund to mitigate the ongoing damages that their illegal conduct has caused to Puerto Rico. It further aims to strengthen public infrastructure against sea-level rise and storm damage, restore natural resources, finance local climate resilience measures, and rebuild natural barriers to protect communities from sea-level rise and climate-influenced weather events.
The lawsuit, which originated from a study conducted by the Puerto Rico Climate Change Council in 2022, is based on the Environmental Public Policy Act, the Puerto Rico Antitrust Act, the 2020 Civil Code, and the Code of Civil Procedure.
Puerto Rico's lawsuit alleged that the oil and gas giants had misled the public about the climate hazards associated with their products. This lawsuit is part of a wave of litigation filed by dozens of U.S. states, cities, and municipalities in recent years.
On May 2, 2025, the Justice Department voluntarily dropped its 2024 climate lawsuit against Big Oil, just two days after the U.S. Justice Department sued two states over planned litigation against oil companies for their role in the climate crisis.
Climate change has had a major impact on Puerto Rico's ecosystems and landscapes. According to a 2019 report by Germanwatch , the island is the most affected by climate change. The territory's energy consumption comes primarily from imported fossil fuels. The Puerto Rico Climate Change Council (PRCCC) noted severe changes in seven categories: air temperature, precipitation, extreme weather events, tropical storms and hurricanes, ocean acidification, sea surface temperatures, and sea level rise.
Climate change also affects Puerto Rico's population, economy, human health, and the number of people forced to migrate. Surveys have shown that climate change is a major concern for most Puerto Ricans. The territory has enacted laws and policies related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, including the use of renewable energy.
Local initiatives are working to achieve mitigation and adaptation goals, and international aid programs support reconstruction after extreme weather events and encourage disaster planning.
- Puerto Rico Department of Justice
- Empresas petroleras: Exxon Mobil Corporation, BP P.L.C., Chevron Corporation, Chevron Phillips Chemical Puerto Rico Core, LLC, ConocoPhillips, Shell PLC, Station Managers of Puerto Rico, Inc., Total Energies y Total Energies Marketing PR Corp
Puerto Rico ranks 19th in carbon dioxide emissions among the 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean; its industrial emissions, energy supplies and transportation are among the island's main sources of net greenhouse gas emissions.
The territory's gross carbon dioxide emissions increased by 80% between 1990 and 2005. Since 2005, emissions have decreased by 42% through 2018, due to the migration of Puerto Ricans to the United States. Between 2010 and 2020, the population decreased by 12%, from 3.8 million to 3.3 million inhabitants, as a result of the country's vulnerability to natural disasters and its economic insecurities.
Puerto Rico's energy consumption is almost 70 times greater than its production. Petroleum products supply 63% of Puerto Rico's electricity generation capacity; 23% comes from natural gas, 8% from coal, and 6% from renewable energy sources, specifically solar, wind, hydroelectric, and biomass.
Puerto Rico has no fossil fuel reserves; the territory's energy consumption comes mostly from imported fossil fuels.
National laws
- Law on Environmental Public Policy.
- Puerto Rico Antitrust Law.
- Civil Code of 2020.
- Code of Civil Procedure.
Beginning
- Principle of prevention