California Sues Automakers for Global Warming

ajs writes "Reuters is reporting that the state of California is suing automakers over global warming. California is claiming that automakers have 'harmed the resources, infrastructure and environmental health,' of the state. The targeted automakers are Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., Chrysler Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co."

*smug grin*

[UbuntuDupe]

The targeted automakers are Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., Chrysler Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co.

Yeah, I always knew my Kia was safe for the environment.

Countersue

[srmalloy]

The automakers should countersue the California Legislature on the grounds that the emission of carbon dioxide, a known greenhouse gas, by the California state government constitutes the same harm to the resources, infrastructure and environmental health, demanding that the members of the California government cease respiration immediately as mitigation of this harm.

Nuisance Suits for Dummies?

[Keith Russell]

Let me see if have this straight...

1. Set the highest standards for emission controls in the nation.
2. Sue the Big Six for not exceeding those standards.
3. ???
4. Profit!

If the complaint names specific instances where the auto industry refused to comply with CA's standards, I don't blame the AG for filing the suit. Otherwise, I agree with the "nuisance suit" response.

Re:Ford and GM

[russ1337]

But think.. If California looses it will be proof that global warming is a myth!

Next candidates for lawsuit...

[rdean400]

The dairy industry: Happy cows come from California, but so do a significant portion of cow farts, which have been shown to contribute a significant amount of methane to the atmosphere.

The heating and cooling industry: all that waste heat from AC and furnace gets radiated into the environment, contributing to warmer temperatures.

The taxpayer industry: all those nasty humans breathe out CO2. They are responsible for a significant portion of Carbon Dioxide emissions.

fight warming

[cool_arrow]

My mother-in-law does her part to combat global warming by running her air conditioning 24 hours a day with all the exterior doors in the house wide open. We need more concerned citizens like her ; )

Car pollution that serious?

[dtfinch]

If you've ever driven through California along the I-5, you might notice that an enormous amount of air pollution is caused by the cattle industry. Methane is third major greenhouse gas, after water vapor and CO2. The ground water in many areas is undrinkable. I think livestock tax would go a long way to solving their problems.

But livestock taxes, gas taxes, and emission fines (that hurt poor people, who drive older cars) would negatively affect the governor's approval rating.

And a major component of city smog is ozone, which they would have even more of if they switched from gas cars to hybrid or electric. It's hard to blame car makers for that.

Disclaimer: I don't live in California anymore.

This is the Colbert Repor....

[nextdrewsaid]

I really and truly can not wait until Steven Colbert pulls CA apart for this on "The Word" *ding*

Re:Oh for the love of.....

[TheRaven64]

If they win, will the car manufacturers have to buy them a new planet?

Re:Car pollution that serious?

[srmalloy]

You'd never get a tax on livestock because of their greenhouse gas emissions passed in Texas; I'd bet that the legislature would construe that as 'defamation of beef', which Texas has laws against...

Re:*smug grin*

[NiceRoundNumber]

The targeted automakers are Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., Chrysler Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co.

So in other words, they're saying the Ford Focus (26/34mpg), GM Chevy Cobalt (25/34), Toyota Prius (60/51), Chrysler Sebring (22/30), Honda Insight (60/66), and Nissan Sentra (28/35) are bad for the environment?

No, I suppose they're referring to the Ford Expedition (14/17mpg), GMC Yukon (13/17), Toyota Land Cruiser (13/17), Chrysler 300C/SRT-8 (14/20), Honda Ridgeline (16/21), and Nissan Titan (14/18).

They may have a point.

Re:Countersue

[Tackhead]

> The automakers should countersue the California Legislature on the grounds that the emission of carbon dioxide, a known greenhouse gas, by the California state government constitutes the same harm to the resources, infrastructure and environmental health, demanding that the members of the California government cease respiration immediately as mitigation of this harm.

I'm confused. Why are we worried about the CO2, when it's the methane that's the problem?

And isn't the bigger greenhouse problem the methane coming from bullshit spewing out of their mouths?

Which reminds me... Once upon a time, bullshit came out of a bull's ass, and horseshit came out of a horse's ass. Life was simple.

Two years ago, in an election-year fit of pique, California voters passed a $3B stem cell [smartvoter.org] research bill, and now look at us. All we have to show for our $3B is a bunch of genetically-enhanced horses' asses that can switch between spewing bullshit and horseshit, out of either their asses or their asses' mouths. And we gave them all the keys to the Treasury.

Tip the United States on its left, and everything loose lands in California.

In Soviet Californiastan...

[Shihar]

In Soviet Californiastan you don't sue the government for failure to implement pollution controls, the government sues you!

Disgraceful

[mkiwi]

california, wtf, retarded (tagging beta)

Whoever did that- It is an insult to retarded people everywhere.

Re:You drive an SUV? *YOU* are the problem

[junk]

I drive a truck that gets, maybe, 14mpg.
I drive a 1972 station wagon that probably gets less.
I also have a bike that gets about 50mpg... if I'm not driving it. 35-40mpg when I am.

Why do I have these gas guzzlers? Because I love them. I don't drive them to get from point to point. I use them for that purpose, but I drive them because I love driving them. I love the way they sound. I love the way they feel. That doesn't make me an idiot. If I bought an ugly car with poor performance that saved gas and wasn't any fun for _me_ to drive, then I would be an idiot.

I don't complain about how many hours a day you probably spend on WoW... despite how much of a waste _I_ think it is. Perhaps you shouldn't complain about my hobbies.b

Time to invade

[popsicle67]

It is time to invade California and restore order. I know we have our problems abroad but they pale to the importance of the job we have ahead of us bringing Caliornia out of its current drug induced coma. I live in Oregon and hearing this sends a chill dowm my back. Imagine if the disease affecting them gets going here and we start doing stupid things like charging bartenders with a crime if one of their patrons causes an accident.Oh yeah, i forgot, that already happened.I guess we could just hang the lawyers and hope for

They should sue themselves.

[Trespass]

They should sue themselves for being an affluent consumer society with a decentralized infrastructure. While they're at it, they should make being a smug materialist illegal as well.

Re:Political statement only

[Midnight Thunder]

And that's also why this suit is so inane: it implicitly tries to shift the blame for global warming to Big Scary Corporations and away from us as individuals. Heavan knows we can't go taking reasponsibility for our own actions.

Yup, and didn't Arnie play a part in getting the Humvee available as a civilian vehicle?

This suit is like saying that McDonalds is responible for people not watching their diet.

The Real Offender

[jqstm]

California is missing the mark by going after auto makers. It should go after the real culprit here, carbon dioxide itself. We need to sue CO2 to stop its heat trapping ways! I see no other way to control this defiant and self-serving molecule.

Yes! I'm finally no longer responsible!

[kuriharu]

Thanks to the gov't of California for absolving me of responsibility! It's my CAR that's polluting, not me for driving it! Thanks for suing Ford, et al instead of making me, the driver, the guilty party! Time to fill up and drive 500 miles tonight in celebration!

Re:Oh for the love of.....

[Nefarious Wheel]

Just...don't buy an electric car from Dell.

Re:Not Quite...

[gomoX]

I am not an American, but I just can't digest the fact that ARNOLD FRIKKIN SCHWARZENEGGER is the governor of California. Just how unbelievably bizarro is that??? In 1998 "AS is the governor of CA" could be used as an analogy of "pigs are flying *and* hell froze over at the same exact time". I just have to sleep now. I can't process this.