I wonder if big oil will become liable for global warming and destructive super-storms. Can/will they be sued?

[Imallin4Joe]

To me, this is a very complex legal question. I know very little about civil law suits other than the basics of less complex cases.

I'm just simply asking for others to share their opinions.

I remember in the 90's few would have thought that people could sue big tobacco and win for smoking relates illnesses, yet they did and won some huge awards from those lawsuits. I'm not saying that's a legit comparison to big oil but I had to throw out some form of an example.



I'm simply asking from my simpleton perspective with limited knowledge in this complex legal question.

These storms are only going to become more frequent, powerful, deadly, costly as global warming gets worse.

[Srkdqltr]

1. By who? In what court? In what country? Who would you sue?

[former9thward]

2. Short answer, no.

Oil is a legal product and necessary in our economy. But if anyone would be sued it would be the users. People who drive, heat their houses, use plastic made from oil products, etc. Oil by itself causes no problems. Taking it from the ground causes no problems. It is only when it is used.

[lame54]

3. They're off the hook...

It's now the cloud seeders problem

[MichMan]

4. Increase the Federal gas tax by $3 per gallon on gas and diesel fuels

Similar to what it is in the EU

[Srkdqltr]

5. what would that do to the companies? It would just make stuff more expensive for us?

[MichMan]

6. People would drastically reduce their driving and replace their vehicles with EV

Demand for oil would drop precipitously and thus carbon emissions would go way down.

People who demand cheap gas prices and then act surprised when consumers buy full size pickup trucks and large SUV instead of EV, don't understand human nature.

[RT Atlanta]

7. Another other approach to consider /

(Which have been tried by states and overturned at times)

Update laws so that principals of those companies (c-suite, etc.) are personally liable for the damage, etc. their companies cause.

I would keep attempting to pass same type laws for gun manufacturers too (c-suite personally liable).

*********
Causation is a big challenge as one noted in this thread. However, there are records that are public now from the internal research of the big oil companies from early 1970s with their own projections of what could happen to the climate (basically, what we're seeing now). Those would be good records to form a starting point for knowledge.

[Scrivener7]

8. Never happen.

[Jacson6]

9. Can the consumers that use those products causing the demand for oil products be sued, too? n/t

[Bev54]

10. As long as demand is there and governments continue to give them license to produce, the only

thing they can be sued for is practices that cause environmental damage such as spills etc. Otherwise they are not breaking the law. Unlike tobacco, people don't have much choice to use or not.