A new poll conducted by Expedition Strategies for the Center for Climate Integrity posed an important question to Pennsylvania voters: Who should be responsible for the massive financial burden of protecting our communities from the impacts of climate change? For Pennsylvanians, the answer is simple: The oil and gas companies that created the crisis and spent millions on climate denial should pay their fair share.
After hearing arguments for and against climate accountability, 75% of Pennsylvania voters support suing oil and gas companies to hold them accountable for lying about their role in creating climate change and its resulting impacts. This support is strong throughout the Commonwealth, with more than seven out of ten voters in both Philadelphia and Allegheny County supporting climate liability litigation.
More than 7 in 10 Pennsylvanians don’t think the oil and gas industry is paying their fair share of the costs associated with climate damages. After learning about the industry’s historic disinformation and climate denial campaigns, 89% of voters believe the fossil fuel industry bears at least some responsibility for the financial costs of climate change. A plurality of voters (35%) believe these corporate polluters should be responsible for most of the costs of climate adaptation projects.
These numbers are the latest to echo what we’ve seen across the country: voters are demanding accountability from the companies that caused climate change and then lied to protect their bottom line.