| Car makers cleared in Global Warming lawsuit |
| Thursday, 25 October 2007 | |
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A judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the state of California demanding compensation from six carmakers for their contribution to global warming. Filed last September by the state's attorney general, it was the first lawsuit attempting to hold manufacturers responsible for the greenhouse gases produced by their vehicles. It sought millions of dollars in compensation from General Motors, Ford, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler and the US divisions of Nissan and Honda. It said: 'Global warming has already injured California, its environment, its economy, and health and wellbeing of its citizens.' But in a written ruling issued yesterday, Judge Martin Jenkins said that before the court could act it needed politicians to establish what was an acceptable level of carbon dioxide emissions. 'The court finds that injecting itself into the global-warming thicket at this juncture would require an initial policy determination of the type reserved for the political branches of government,' he wrote.
The state is now considering whether to appeal.
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