CA Tosses Global Warming Suit v. Automakers

A federal judge has thrown out California's attempt to hold automakers liable for the environmental implications of vehicle emissions, the LA Times reports. The judge who rejected the much-watched lawsuit Monday called global warming a "political question" for legislators, rather than courts. The suit had blamed carmakers for Sierra snowpack melt, droughts, and dying forests.

A state attorney said legal action was the only recourse to the failure of President Bush and Congress to meaningfully stem global warming. And the cause got a bump last week when a Vermont judge ruled against automakers in a similar suit. Meanwhile, the defendants in the case, who include Ford, GM, and Honda, have sued California over a state law limiting greenhouse gas emissions. (More global warming stories.)