In the United States, more than 10,000 survivors and their allies have called on the Department of Justice to hold fossil fuel polluters accountable.
A group of citizens asks the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the damage caused by big oil.
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network and advocacy group Public Citizen have teamed up to deliver a letter demanding that oil and gas companies be held accountable for fueling climate-induced disasters such as floods, fires, hurricanes and extreme heat that have destroyed property and claimed innocent lives.
Among the more than 10,000 signatories From the letter there are more than 1,000 people who have survived catastrophes caused by climate. They want the Justice Department to investigate Big Oil for allegedly fueling the dangerous climate change and intentionally misleading the public about their role.
The delivery of this letter occurs at a time when the demand for justice for survivors of fossil fuel climate disasters.
In the United States, seven states and 35 municipalitiesas well as the District of Columbia, are crafting major laws or have already sued the oil and gas industry.
Is there any precedent for other lawsuits against Big Oil?
And not only in the United States. In May, nonprofit groups and climate change victims presented in France the first criminal lawsuit in the world against the people who run a big oil company.
The case was filed against the French oil giant TotalEnergies and its main shareholders, and the plaintiffs were seeking a trial for involuntary manslaughter and other consequences of the “chaos” of climate change.
The US letter could pave the way for a similar lawsuit across the pond. In the letter,climate activists They reveal that, as early as the 1950s, the fossil fuel industry knew that its combustion would contribute to climate change.
It is also claimed that, instead of working to prevent this existential threat, Big Oil they continue to sabotage climate solutionslobbying against aggressive climate action and spending billions to mislead the public.
Climate catastrophes They are not natural disasters“But crimes perpetrated by the fossil fuel industry,” says Clara Vondrich, political counsel at Public Citizen. “The human cost has been unimaginable, destroying entire communities, destroying businesses that families built from scratch, and stealing lives.”
“Climate change survivors and their allies they are fed upand our message to the Department of Justice is clear: investigate the fossil fuel industry and make the polluters pay.
“The big oil companies They have been sacrificing our health and safety for more than half a century to line their pockets. “Survivors of climate crimes deserve justice, as do victims of homicides, arson, assaults, armed robberies and other serious crimes,” he adds.
The letter is signed by both victims and defenders
In 2018, theCalifornia town of Paradise, Butte County, witnessed the worst wildfire in state history: 84 people lost their lives while hundreds of families were displaced for years.
Since then, research has determined that the losses were due to negligencede Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).
Allen Myers, who lived in Paradise, lost his house in the fire. Together with Public Citizen and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, it insists that such an incident never happen again, but that may not be possible.
ADVERTISING“Another unprecedented fire is ravaging Butte County. This year’s Park Fire is the fourth largest wildfire in California history“, explica Myers.
“Let’s be clear: the footprints of the fossil fuel industry are everywhere. The industry continues to ignore the catastrophic consequences from the burning of fossil fuels, which warms our atmosphere and increases the scale and frequency of disasters. The Department of Justice needs to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable now,” he adds.
Gabrielle Walton, Federal Campaigns Associate for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, echoes his sentiments.
“For decades, Big Oil pushed against aggressive climate actionknowing that fossil fuels would cause extreme weather events, deadly heat waves, floods and fires. As climate change increasingly and continually disrupts weather patterns around the world, the number of climate survivors will also grow and languish in search of justice,” he says.
ADVERTISING“The Government has the moral responsibility to protect and defend its citizensand the letter demands that the Department of Justice act in accordance with this obligation,” adds Walton, who hopes that the Government will take note of the desperate pleas of thousands of people.
