February 2025 experienced the lowest global sea ice extent ever recorded for February. Arctic sea ice was 8% below average, while Antarctic sea ice was 26% below average—a stark warning of accelerating climate change.
February 2025 was the third warmest February in recorded history globally, with surface air temperatures 1.59°C above pre-industrial levels. This milestone continues a disturbing trend: 19 of the last 20 months have exceeded the 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement.
Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) outside polar regions reached their second-highest levels ever recorded for February, with particularly warm areas in the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea.
In the meantime, Western Europe experienced erratic weather patterns. Below-average precipitation was observed across most of Europe with Southeastern Spain and Turkey to face drier-than-usual conditions, while southern UK and parts of France saw heavier-than-average rainfall.
Climate Accountability: A High-Stakes Legal Battle in the U.S.
As climate records continue to break, in the United States, the US Supreme Court has declined to block lawsuits filed by five Democratic-led states against major oil companies, such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and BP. These lawsuits accuse the oil companies of deliberately misleading the public about fossil fuels’ role in climate change and are seeking monetary damages.
Republican-led states, backing the oil industry, argued that such lawsuits improperly attempt to regulate emissions—an authority they claim belongs to the federal government. However, the Supreme Court declined to intervene, allowing state courts to proceed with the cases.
Among them, one lawsuit stands out.
The Plastic Recycling Myth: A Deception Decades in the Making
California’s Attorney General, Rob Bonta, has taken ExxonMobil to court—not for fossil fuel deception, but for decades of misleading the public about plastic recycling. The lawsuit, which followed a two-and-a-half-year investigation, claims that ExxonMobil has falsely promoted plastic recycling as a solution to pollution since the 1980s—despite knowing full well that most plastics are neither recyclable nor biodegradable.
Bonta argues that ExxonMobil and other industry players used deceptive marketing tactics to shift responsibility for plastic pollution onto consumers, all while continuing to profit from single-use plastics. According to the lawsuit, the company's strategy successfully delayed meaningful regulation and allowed plastic production to skyrocket, despite the dismal reality: today, less than 6% of U.S. plastics are recycled.
As environmental awareness grew, the company doubled down, promoting so-called "chemical recycling"—a process that often turns plastics into fuel rather than new products. —a convenient excuse to keep the plastic pipeline flowing under the pretense of innovation.
These tactics are nothing new. Since the 1970s, big fossil fuel corporations have been involved in long-running deception campaigns to downplay the impact of fossil fuels on climate change. They have financed research and public relations campaigns to cast doubt on the science of climate change and shift blame from fossil fuel industries to consumers.
What makes this lawsuit particularly significant is that it's the first of its kind—no state has ever sued a company for deceiving the public about plastic recycling. If successful, the case could set a precedent, for holding corporations accountable for misleading the public and for their role in environmental damage and public health.
Notes:
February 2025: record low global sea ice cover | Copernicus
Supreme Court nixes challenge to state climate suits against oil firms | CNBC
California attorney general sues Exxon Mobil over plastics recycling deceptions - POLITICO
California sues Exxon Mobil over ‘sham’ of plastics recycling | Grist
California sues ExxonMobil over plastics recycling 'deception' - BBC News
Assessing ExxonMobil's climate change communications (1977–2014), Geoffrey Supran and Naomi Oreskes, 2017 Environ. Res. Lett. 12
Merchants of Doubt – Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway (2010)
Shannon Hall, Exxon Knew About Climate Change Almost 40 Years Ago – Scientific American (2015)
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