News & Analysis
November 9, 2020
Climate accountability is poised to have an ally in the White House for the first time since climate damages lawsuits were first filed against major oil and gas companies in 2017.
Throughout his campaign, Joe Biden vowed to stand on the side of communities seeking justice and compensation for the billion-dollar climate disasters caused by the fossil fuel industry and their decades of climate deception. Now, as president-elect, he has an unparalleled opportunity to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable.
One of the first and most important things Biden can do is appoint an Attorney General and other Department of Justice officials who are committed to holding the fossil fuel industry accountable for deceiving the public about their role in causing the climate crisis.
In his climate plan released earlier this year, Biden pledged to create a new division of the Department of Justice focused on environmental and climate justice. A DOJ that fights for climate accountability would be a true game changer: Part of the new division’s mission, according to Biden’s campaign plan, will be to “strategically support ongoing plaintiff-driven climate litigation against polluters,” a reference to lawsuits filed against the fossil fuel industry by more than 20 U.S. states and localities.
Once he enters office, President-elect Biden must follow-through on that pledge and support legal actions, investigations, and other efforts to hold oil and gas companies, and their executives, accountable for causing and lying about the climate crisis.
President-elect Biden has pledged to make climate action a top priority in his administration, and we will work with communities and partners across the country to ensure that accountability for polluters is a key part of that agenda.
Image credit: Gage Skidmore on flickr
