The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a bid by Sunoco and other oil companies to scuttle a lawsuit by Honolulu accusing them of misleading the public for decades about the dangers of climate change induced by the burning of fossil fuels.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear challenges to a similar suit brought by Honolulu, which seeks some compensation from oil companies for the effects of climate change.

The oil and gas companies appealed to the Supreme Court after Hawaii’s highest court allowed the lawsuit against companies, including Sunoco, Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and BP, to proceed.

Oil and gas companies are grappling with a surge of lawsuits accusing them of misleading the public about fossil fuels' role in driving climate change.

The high court declined to hear a challenge to a major case in which Honolulu is suing energy companies over climate change.

The Supreme Court dealt a major setback to the oil industry on Monday, refusing to block lawsuits from California and other blue states that seek billions of dollars in damages for the impact of climate change.

The oil and gas industry has faced a series of cases alleging it deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change.