News & Analysis
September 28, 2026
As communities advance legal and legislative efforts to make Big Oil companies pay for climate damages, the fossil fuel industry is pulling every lever to escape accountability: lobbying Congress and state legislatures for broad legal immunity, attacking climate science and judicial education projects, and urging the U.S. Supreme Court to stop state and local climate deception lawsuits against oil majors before they can reach trial.
At this year’s Climate Week NYC, CCI and the Union of Concerned Scientists sponsored an important and timely conversation about how communities are standing up to the fossil fuel industry’s attacks on science, accountability, and the law.
The event was moderated by Emily Atkin, Editor-in-chief at HEATED, and featured
Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee
Former Executive Assistant Attorney General for New Jersey Angela Cai
Tennessee Representative Justin Jones, and
Dr. Pallavi Phartiyal of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Watch it below:
Other co-sponsors of the event included Climate Defenders, Fossil Free for Health, Fossil Free Media, GreenFaith, Law Students for Climate Accountability, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Third Act, and Third Act New Jersey.
