Suing Big Oil For Causing Hurricanes
Hurricane Katrina victims to sue oil companies over global warming
"The plaintiffs allege that defendants' operation of energy, fossil fuels, and chemical industries in the United States caused the emission of greenhouse gasses that contributed to global warming," say the documents seen by the AFP news agency.
The increase in global surface air and water temperatures "in turn caused a rise in sea levels and added to the ferocity of Hurricane Katrina, which combined to destroy the plaintiffs' private property, as well as public property useful to them."
The suit, claiming compensation and punitive damages from multinational companies including Shell, ExxonMobile, BP and Chevron, has already passed several key legal hurdles, after initially being knocked back by the lowest court.
Other companies named in the suit include Honeywell and American Electric Power, with the residents charging that "the defendants' greenhouse gas emissions caused saltwater, debris, sediment, hazardous substances, and other materials to enter, remain on, and damage plaintiffs' property."
Bring it on, I would be fascinated to see the evidence.
Comments
Bring it on, I would be fascinated to see the evidence.
So would I, but I don't think the evidence is going to matter much here.
Posted by: CIngram | March 4, 2010 10:38 PM
What's next? A lawsuit against every church, synagogue and mosque in the US to reclaim damages from God?
Oh yeah, I forgot. That's a Billy Connolly movie...
Posted by: JJM | March 5, 2010 12:29 AM
ExxonMobile?
Who the fuck are they?
Posted by: Tim Newman | March 5, 2010 2:12 AM
The defense should sub-poena all the great alarmist, like Al Gore, Hansen, etc. and get them to demonstrate the incontrovertible link between a company's fossil fuel emissions and Hurricane Katrina, the sort of proof that removes reasonable doubt. In the unlikely event of a win for plainstupidtiffs, the power companies should turn all fossil fuel energy derived power off until the government overturns the decision and grants them immunity from such prosecution.
Posted by: DocBud | March 5, 2010 6:29 AM
"the power companies should turn all fossil fuel energy derived power off until the government overturns the decision"
Now, that would be Atlas Shrugging!
Posted by: Ian Bennett | March 5, 2010 8:30 AM
Unfortunately, as a civil rather than criminal suit, the "reasonable doubt" standard does not actually apply. Emotional sympathy for one side or the other is at least as much a factor, unless doubt can be erased entirely.
Posted by: John A | March 5, 2010 5:41 PM