Climate Crisis AM Edition 3/13/24 Sue Big Oil
Climate change has made wildfires more likely across much of the US. Some of the reasons are drought and high winds. There is another factor that increases the risk and danger. The electric energy grid is aging, and electric lines are more likely to cause figures. According to NPR, “The U.S. is brimming with aging power infrastructure. Many of the nation’s power lines were built 60 to 70 years ago, says Rob Gramlich, president of consulting firm Grid Strategies. “Old, literally rusted assets,” he says.”
Oil News —America’s All-Time Production Record
American Energy Problem —Running Out Of Electricity
Planting trees is supposed to be good for the environment. That point of view may be based on a myth. Inside Climate News reports, “Darker forests can warm the Earth because they reduce the albedo of the land they cover, meaning they absorb more sunlight and reflect less solar radiation back into space. So more heat is held by the Earth’s surface.”
Climate And The Election
Climate change attitudes could affect the results of the 2024 presidential election. According to a new research paper titled “Climate change opinion and recent presidential elections,” “We project that climate change opinion probably cost Republicans the 2020 presidential election, all else being equal.” The researchers expect that voter behavior to be even greater this year.
Chicago and California have sued large oil companies, claiming they misled the public about the environmental implications of their business practices. These suits say Big Oil has been aware of the harm for decades. The lawsuit movement has spread to Europe. According to The International Federation for Human Rights, “Hugues Falys, a farmer from the Hainaut province in Belgium and pioneer of the agro-ecological transition, is taking legal action today before the Tournai Commercial Court, on the border with France, against TotalEnergies for its responsibility for climate change.” According to many experts, the difficulty of winning these suits is proving that energy company actions have directly harmed individuals. In the Big Tobacco lawsuits, which that industry eventually lost, deaths were connected directly to smoking, and it was proven the tobacco companies knew for decades that the risk was present.
