Kids bike in an area without grid power or running water about two weeks after Hurricane Maria swept through the island on October 5, 2017 in San Isidro, Puerto Rico. The island is seeking to hold the oil industry financially responsible for hurricanes and other disasters that may be worsened by rising temperatures. Mario Tama/Getty Images

San Juan, July 19 (RHC)-- Puerto Rico has filed a lawsuit against fossil fuel giants BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and others, seeking at least $1 billion in compensation for their role in fueling the climate crisis. 

The corporations are charged with hiding evidence for decades that showed greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuels would have catastrophic impacts on the climate. 

Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Justice Domingo Emanuelli Hernández said in a statement: “They did not truthfully warn Puerto Rican consumers about the consequences of using and burning fossil fuels on the island, as well as their impact on the environment.  It is time for them to mitigate the damage they have caused to Puerto Rico and not let Puerto Ricans foot the bill.”