Though it will likely be unsuccessful, California has taken the bold move of suing car manufacturers for their impact on global warming.

In the unprecedented lawsuit, the state accused Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Chrysler and Nissan of creating a "public nuisance" and costing it millions of dollars. Environmental campaigners hailed the lawsuit as a landmark event in the effort to deal with global warming.

The case for knowingly causing harm, as with tobacco companies, doesn't quite exist with automobile manufacturers. However, given the volume of action taken by the auto industry to stop or stall various emission standards, including their current effort challenging a 2004 California law that requires a 30% reduction in automobile co2, it's high time the tables were turned.