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

Brasilia, October 10 — Brazilian prosecutors have filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against Shell Brasil, demanding US$108 million in compensation for the devastating floods that struck southern Brazil in 2024. Torrential rains caused historic flooding in April and May of that year, resulting in nearly 200 deaths, 500,000 people displaced, and extensive damages.

The lawsuit claims that Shell's contribution to global warming, estimated at two percent of historical greenhouse gas emissions, is the primary cause of the disaster. Public prosecutors stated that the company should be held accountable for material and moral damages resulting from the extreme weather event in Rio Grande do Sul state.

The US$108 million in compensation encompasses both tangible and intangible losses. This marks the first instance of a national public prosecutor suing an oil major for a climate disaster, according to Maria Antonia Tigre, director of global climate litigation at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. Thales Miola, a lawyer at Instituto Preservar, an NGO, emphasized that the costs of climate damage should not be borne solely by society and those who lost everything.

Major polluters, who significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, must answer for the losses they help cause, he said. Climate-related lawsuits have been increasing worldwide, with NGOs and lawyers seeking to hold major polluters responsible for harm caused by their emissions. Similar cases are currently pending in Germany, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Pakistan, among other countries.

However, there have been setbacks, with climate groups losing lawsuits against oil companies in the United States and New Zealand altering its laws to block a similar case.