Two fishing communities in Nigeria have been granted permission by a United Kingdom court to sue Shell. The lawsuit sets a rare precedent for the victims of environmental catastrophes in the global south to be able to hold the company at fault responsible in its home country. The villages Ogale and Bille, are not the first to suffer from oil contamination as spillagess have devastated many fishing communities around the Niger Delta. In 2013, the energy giant was sued by the community of Bodo also on the delta  and found liable for a landmark $77 million in damages, which went go to over 15,000 residents and to redevelop the area. However, the money was not enough to remedy the devastation and a year after the suit was settled, many of the residents of Bodo have unfinished homes.
Its reported that 48,000 tons of Shell’s oil spilled into the delta between 2008 and 2014. The spills have destroyed local ecosystems and in turn, the livelihoods of the people who depend upon them, many of whom are farmers or fishermen. Shell has blamed the oil spills on thieves, but accepts responsibility for cleaning them up.
 

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