Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in an environmental case fought between the city of Baltimore and fossil fuel companies. Because fossil fuel companies knew about how dangerous their products were, they should pay costs for the damage climate change induced events brought.
This is not the first case of its kind. Many cities and states have sued fossil fuel companies for similar reasons before. This is an important case to note because if the Supreme Court decides in favor of Baltimore, it will help cities who file cases like Baltimore’s in the future.
Climate change has not been kind to Baltimore. Extreme rain creates rivers out of roads. An entity known as a heat island, where the inside area is much warmer in the inside than the surroundings, are popping up all over town. Storm water and sewer systems are increasingly unable to keep up with the changes.
The amount of money needed to handle all of these damages is incredibly high, and as fossil fuels contributed to climate change, Baltimore believes fossil fuel companies should help out with the costs.
Normally cases such as these are filed in federal court, but Baltimore’s was filed in state court. Before anything can be decided over whether or not the city will get compensation, the Supreme Court is deciding on whether or not the case can even proceed in a state court, which will greatly increase odds of Baltimore winning.
The decision will be decided upon later in the year. Let’s hope that it’s one that allows Baltimore to continue to fight for climate compensation.
SOURCE: Hersher, Rebecca. “Supreme Court Considers Baltimore Suit Against Oil Companies Over Climate Change.” NPR, NPR, 19 Jan. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/01/19/956005206/supreme-court-considers-baltimore-suit-against-oil-companies.