Encana Corp. (ECA.TO) has been named in three massive lawsuits that attempt to link damages suffered from climate change to industry's attempts to slow action on the issue.

The Calgary-based energy company is among 20 international energy majors and their subsidiaries that face claims from three California communities.

They say the companies have deliberately sown misinformation and doubt on climate change and are at least partially responsible for related damages, such as shoreline erosion.

The lawsuits, filed Monday in California, draw on legal precedents used against tobacco companies.

Legal scholars say the cases also use new arguments and are being closely watched.

They are the latest in a growing number of such lawsuits around the world.

A recent United Nations study counted more than 600 cases in 24 countries regarding climate science and mitigation efforts.