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Article

4 Oct 2017

Author:
Geoff Dembicki, on Vice (Canada)

New strategies & laws could make climate change lawsuits against oil companies succeed, say experts

"What Happens if Oil Companies Are Forced to Pay for Climate Damage", 2 Oct 2017

Successful lawsuits cost the tobacco industry hundreds of billions. We asked experts about the likelihood of energy giants meeting the same fate…

No lawsuit of this type has yet succeeded. The legal requirements are too complex. The fossil fuel industry is too strong…

Yet some observers think that could soon change. They believe there are new and powerful strategies for suing Big Oil that have just begun to be explored. US state courts could pass legislation making oil companies legally liable for the atmospheric chaos caused by their profit model. Or they could wait for an oil company to lose a legal battle in a foreign country and then enforce the ruling in the US…

"If climate liability is difficult or impossible to litigate under the current legal system, then change the law," he and two co-authors wrote in their recent journal article. New legislation could remove many of the barriers delaying and obstructing lawsuits against oil companies…

[Also refer to BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon, Shell]