Charleston aims to force fossil fuel companies to pay $2bn to combat climate crisis

South Carolina city sues large oil firms, claiming they concealed knowledge that their product would cause damage to coastal cities around the world

Charleston, the architectural jewel of the US south, has survived the ravages of revolutionary wars, an earthquake and even a siege waged by the notorious pirate Blackbeard. But the city now needs saving from its largest existential threat yet - the climate crisis.

Flooding has, in recent years, become a regular menace to streets lined with colonial and Georgian buildings. Protecting the historic core of South Carolina's largest city from being consumed by the rising seas now comes with such a hefty price tag - around $2b - that Charleston is pinning its hopes on a bold gambit to force fossil fuel companies to foot the bill.