Lawsuits May Be Path To End Climate Crisis
Several states, counties, and cities have sued for the oil damage they have done to the environment. Those cases also claim these companies were aware of the harm as far back as the middle of the last century. An expose by The Guardian shows this coverup went back as far as 1953. While nations and companies do very little to cut emissions and plans to do so falter, there is a school of thought that the climate will have to be saved in the courts.
‘All other avenues have been exhausted’: Is legal action the only way to save the planet?, a The Guardian headline reads. Brett Christophers, professor at Uppsala University and the author of The Price is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won’t Save the Planet. “Governments and companies aren’t taking serious and significant action, but in theory, at least, both are beholden to the law.”
Lawsuits Are Expensive
A primary challenge of these suits is that they are expensive. Large oil companies have nearly infinite amounts of cash to defend themselves or to file countersuits.
The same is true of national governments. In addition, there is no precedent to collect large amounts of damages from broad climate change issues.
However, if all other avenues are exhausted, the final battle over the climate’s future may be decided by a judge and jury.
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