Lawsuits took down Big Tobacco. Can they make oil companies accountable for climate change?
A growing list of US cities and counties are suing fossil fuel companies for damages linked to climate change.
Among the defendants are Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil. Emerging evidence suggests that these companies understood the warming effects of greenhouse gas emissions decades ago, yet engaged in a massive campaign to persuade the public otherwise and to discredit the science.
The plaintiffs want these companies to pay for some of the infrastructure needed to protect against floods and other climate-related disasters.
photo credit: TheRealMichaelMoore