The Supreme Court declined to block climate change lawsuits from California and other states seeking damages from major oil producers. The decision allows about two dozen states and municipalities to move forward with claims that oil companies concealed the dangers of burning fossil fuels. The lawsuits allege that the oil industry engaged in a decades-long campaign of deception regarding the impact of their products on the environment. The court's refusal to intervene in these state cases means that the claims can proceed, following a pattern similar to successful mass lawsuits against the tobacco and pharmaceutical industries. The decision marks a setback for the oil industry and allows states to seek damages for failing to warn consumers of known dangers related to fossil fuels.