Articles

Holding Fossil Fuel Companies Accountable for their Contribution to Climate Change: Where Does the Law Stand?

Burger, Michael; Wentz, Jessica A.; Columbia University. Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

The judge who called for a climate tutorial in a federal court in San Francisco accepted the science that says that human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide play the central role in rising average global temperatures, increased sea levels, and coastal flooding – but threw out a lawsuit calling for financial reparations from the oil companies for causing these problems. Why? And what might the decision mean for other cases in other states, along similar lines, that are still in the works? Two environmental lawyers, one of whom was in the courtroom for the tutorial, explain.

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Also Published In

Title
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/00963402.2018.1533217

More About This Work

Published Here
February 26, 2019