Boulder and Boulder County filed the lawsuit seven years ago, seeking to hold Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil accountable for driving climate change and the damages their pollution has caused.

Colorado's highest court on Monday rejected efforts by Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy to dismiss a lawsuit by the city of Boulder seeking to hold the fossil fuel companies responsible for climate change.

A majority on the state Supreme Court allowed the climate lawsuit to proceed at the state level, but a minority dissent warned of "chaos."