New York officials call for big oil to be prosecuted for fueling climate disasters

[Passages]

Oil majors’ conduct can constitute reckless endangerment due to fossil fuels’ effect on global heating, advocates claim

Dharna Noor
Thu 17 Oct 2024 06.00 EDT

New York state prosecutors could press criminal charges against big oil for its role in fueling hurricanes and other climate disasters, lawyers wrote in a new prosecution memorandum that has been endorsed by elected officials across the state.

The 50-page document, published by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen and the progressive prosecutors' network Fair and Just Prosecution on Thursday, comes as the US south-east struggles to recover from the deadly hurricanes Helene and Milton, both of which scientists have found were exacerbated by the climate crisis. It details the havoc wrought on New York by 2021’s Hurricane Ida and 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, and other deadly climate events such as extreme heatwaves across the US this past summer.

These disasters are fueled by the climate crisis, which is primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels. And a growing body of evidence shows that big oil knew about the climate dangers of its products but promoted them to the public anyway, the authors write.
“This conduct was not just amoral,” the memo says. “It was criminal.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/17/new-york-big-oil-fueling-climate-disasters

It's about time.

[Think. Again.]

1. Good, let's hope this is the start of every state, agency or other...

...appropriate plaintiff taking action to hold accountable those who are knowingly and willingly responsible for these and past damages.

[dutch777]

2. Unless we put in place a 10 or 20 year plan to phase out fossil fuels this will just be price of doing business for...

...Big Oil and Gas. I think much that the Biden admin has done are steps in the right direction but it is not as comprehensive and does not assure a certain end date to climate impacts of fossil fuels. I was very happy to see the Federal approval of the large geothermal project in Utah and hope to see more progress around geothermal. After visiting Iceland and seeing how they have harnessed geothermal to have a safe, long term and clean energy future I am hoping the many areas of our country that have ready geothermal potential start using it to displace fossil fuel reliance.

[MichMan]

3. "These disasters are fueled by the climate crisis, which is primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels."

Seems like they need to go after those who are actually the ones burning the fossil fuels.

Perhaps NY should sharply raise the state gas and fuel oil taxes immediately to discourage consumption.

[Stargazer99]

5. And what alternative vehicle does the gas user have? Punish the user but not the producer?

sounds like a Republican solution

[MichMan]

6. News flash. They do make EV and fuel efficient ICE vehicles

On one hand we say we want low gas prices, yet act confused when consumers walk by EV in the showroom and buy full size pickups and SUV instead. If we were truly serious about getting people to stop using fossil fuels, the best way to make that happen is to make fuel more expensive, not demand it is cheaper.

In what world would a state fine oil companies billions of dollars, yet none of that would be passed on to consumers?

[Stargazer99]

7. So we make the middleclass taxpayer pay for it? Big business are the biggest Welfare Queens in the nation

[MichMan]

8. The consumer always pays

No different than tariffs, corporate taxes, tighter regulations, higher inflation, or anything else driving up the costs of doing business.

They all get passed on to consumers. Pretty basic.

[Stargazer99]

9. Punish those who are not the cause of the problem my point big business are the real Welfare Queens

[Stargazer99]

10. That is nice you have the money to purchase one of these vehicles-that doesn't mean everybody does

[MichMan]

11. I don't drive an EV, nor do I have a Pickup or SUV

And do not live in NYS. I did just buy a VW Golf this summer

Sorry.

[Stargazer99]

4. Big business is the problem-too big to control and capitalism has no morals-so death and destruction

that the middle class tax payer pays for- and big business Welfare Queens are the leading benefiter of taxpayer money (it costs the government big bucks to clean up the messes of violent weather. At times I wonder how people cannot see this fact....manipulation of politics and/or gaslighting/or willing stuidity