Lawyers Intensify Push for Climate Homicide Charges Against Oil Companies Amid Rising Civil Lawsuits and Accountability Efforts.

Lawyers pushing for charges against oil companies for climate-related deaths are increasing their efforts to hold fossil fuel producers accountable for contributing to climate change. The authors of “Climate Homicide: Prosecuting Big Oil for Climate Death” are touring college campuses to promote their theory. They have also been engaging local district attorneys to support the theory. However, some lawyers have called the climate homicide theory unworkable due to the high bar for conviction in a criminal case. They argue that it would be difficult to link any company’s conduct or emissions to a particular event or a specific climate change event. The oil industry is already facing a barrage of civil lawsuits to pay for the costs of dealing with rising tides and intensifying storms.