Brazil prosecutors sue Shell for US$108mil over deadly 2024 floods

BRASILIA: Brazilian prosecutors announced on Friday the filing of a groundbreaking lawsuit against a subsidiary of oil giant Shell, seeking US$108 million in compensation for the devastating floods that struck southern Brazil in 2024. The catastrophic weather event, triggered by torrential rains in April and May, resulted in nearly 200 fatalities, displaced over 500,000 individuals, and caused extensive damage to property.

According to the lawsuit, Shell's financial responsibility should correspond to its share in global warming, which has been estimated at two percent of total historical greenhouse gas emissions. This civil action is designed to hold the corporation accountable for its environmental and climate-related duties regarding the collective material and moral damages resulting from the extreme weather event that impacted the Rio Grande do Sul state.

The British energy company is alleged to be responsible due to its historical and ongoing greenhouse gas emissions linked to the extraction, production, and sale of fossil fuels. The US$108 million in compensation covers both material and emotional damages. The legal action by Brazilian prosecutors, in collaboration with Instituto Preservar, a Brazilian non-governmental organization, signifies a significant development in the worldwide legal confrontation against oil corporations.

This marks the first instance of a national public prosecutor suing an oil major for a climate disaster, as per Maria Antonia Tigre, the director of global climate litigation at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. Shell is currently facing legal action in the United Kingdom over a typhoon in the Philippines.