The president-elect said he will ‘stop the wave of frivolous litigation from environmental extremists’ but the ability to block suits will be limited, experts say

Donald Trump has promised to deregulate the energy sector, boost fossil fuels, dismantle environmental rules and otherwise attack climate progress. However, experts and advocates say that lawsuits that aim to hold the fossil fuel sector responsible for deceiving the public about the climate crisis still “have a clear path forward”.

“The overwhelming evidence of the industry’s lies and ongoing deception does not change with administrations,” said Richard Wiles, president of the non-profit Center for Climate Integrity, which tracks and supports the litigation. There are more than 30 accountability lawsuits active around the US brought by states and municipalities accusing fossil fuel interests of covering up the climate risks of their products or seeking damages for impacts. “Climate deception lawsuits against big oil have a clear path forward no matter who is in the White House.”

On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to “stop the wave of frivolous litigation from environmental extremists”.

But the administration’s ability to block the suits will be limited, Wiles said.

Since the federal government is neither plaintiff nor defendant in any of the suits, Trump’s election will not directly affect their outcome. And since each case was filed in state court, the president cannot appoint judges who will oversee them.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    17·
    9 days ago

    I love these “it won’t be easy for Trump to do this because [this or that legal stuff]” articles as if Trump and his people give a flying fuck about the law.

  • TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world
    15·
    9 days ago

    We’re all psychopaths now.

    The tragedy of the commons is a concept which states that when many people have unrestricted access to a resource, they will tend to overuse the resource eventually leading to its destruction or depletion. It’s a tragedy because even those who are concerned with sustainability, and who would choose conservation and restraint, are compelled to continue also overusing the resource because they fear that if they don’t they will be put in a position of strategic disadvantage relative to those who have no such concerns.

    The psychopaths don’t care about the environment. They don’t care about a rapidly changing climate, environmental degradation, the depletion of nonrenewable resources, loss of biodiversity, etc. They just don’t care. And because they don’t care, we can’t either, because we are afraid that if we restrain ourselves in the pursuit of sustainable living, we will be putting ourselves in a position of disadvantage relative to the psychopaths. We have to become more like them to defend ourselves from them, and thus, tragedy.

    We’re all psychopaths now.