Baku, August 16, AZERTAC

Advocacy groups deliver letter calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to hold fossil fuel polluters accountable, according to Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Public Citizen delivered today a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) demanding that it hold oil and gas companies accountable for fueling climate-driven disasters such as floods, fires, hurricanes, and extreme heat that have destroyed property and taken innocent lives. The letter, signed by more than 10,000 people across the country, including more than 1,000 individuals who have survived climate-fueled disasters, demands that DOJ investigate Big Oil for knowingly fueling dangerous climate change and intentionally misleading the public about its role.

The delivery of this letter represents a growing push for justice for the survivors of fossil-fueled climate disasters. Seven states, thirty-five municipalities, and the District of Columbia are crafting significant legislation or suing the oil and gas industry. This movement extends beyond the United States. In Europe, climate survivors brought the first criminal suit against Big Oil, and there are numerous civil suits across the continent.

As early as the 1950s, the fossil fuel industry knew that burning fossil fuels would contribute to climate change. Instead of working to prevent this existential threat, Big Oil continues to sabotage climate solutions, lobby against aggressive climate action, and spend billions of dollars to deceive the public.