People vs Climate Deception
With the latest devastating landfall of Hurricane Helene, climate change is ravaging communities across North Carolina, the country and the world. Rather than support urgent action to tackle climate catastrophe, Duke Energy Corporation has instead helped lead a conspiracy of deception.
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Lawsuit Summary
Duke Energy – one of the largest climate polluters in the world – has known for decades that burning fossil fuels is driving the climate crisis and ever more destructive storms like Hurricane Helene. Instead of taking action to transition off fossil fuels, Duke Energy has helped lead a campaign to deceive the public about these dangers, delaying the necessary transition off coal, oil and gas. That’s why the Town of Carrboro is taking Duke Energy to court.
Duke Energy’s top executives have known for decades that burning fossil fuel produces climate-warming emissions and fuel the climate crisis.
Timeline
1968
- Scientists warn the electric utility industry about the harmful effects that CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels could have on the climate. Duke Energy’s then-CEO, W.B. McGuire was in attendance.
1970s
- The utility industry — with Duke Energy as a ringleader — contribute to research on the harms posed by fossil fuel emissions.
1980s
- Duke Energy and other electric utilities are made aware of even more evidence linking increased fossil fuel use, namely coal, and climate change.
1990s
- Duke Energy boosts newly-formed anti-climate organizations and their efforts to spew misinformation, even so far as relying on fringe “scientists” to parrot industry-friendly, pro-fossil fuel talking points.
2000s
- Duke Energy continued working with — and funding — anti-climate organizations to alter public opinion on the links between rising emissions and climate change, and began touting impractical solutions like carbon capture and storage and the idea of “clean” coal to prop up its fossil fuel business.
2010s
- Duke Energy, via partnerships with anti-climate lobbying groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC), sought to undermine decarbonization efforts including EPA’s plan to regulate GHG emissions under the Clean Air Act in 2013.
Get the latest in our efforts against Duke Energy's decades of deception.
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