Author name: Alison Taylor

Last week, Canada’s parliament grilled Suncor Energy CEO Richard Kruger about his company’s commitment — or lack thereof — to the clean energy transition. Meanwhile, at the grassroots level, calls for climate lawsuits against Big Oil companies have been building in Canada for years. The “Sue Big Oil” campaign has been encouraging municipalities in BC to file a joint lawsuit against fossil fuel companies for climate damages since 2022. Just this week, the District of Squamish became the third municipality in B.C. to sign on to the campaign. (Article in ExxonKnews) Read More

The District of Squamish took a step towards adding its name to those of other B.C. municipalities as part of the Sue Big Oil campaign. At an Oct. 24 committee of the whole meeting, council members voted 5-2 in favour of joining a class action lawsuit against oil companies. (Article in The Squamish Chief Newspaper) Read More

Following a federal committee hearing that dragged a Suncor executive over the coals for his company’s plans to expand fossil fuel production, NDP MP Charlie Angus says now is the time to hold Big Oil accountable. This is Canada’s Big Tobacco moment,” he says, drawing a direct comparison to the major lawsuits launched against Big Tobacco in the 1990s which led to the largest civil litigation settlement in U.S. history, which that required tobacco companies to pay $264 billion over 25 years for their role in pushing harmful products on a public they actively deceived. (Article in National Observer) Read More

Testimonies to Parliament can be pretty dry… but not this one! In a passionate, inspiring, articulate and information-filled five minutes, author John Vaillant (of the book Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast) makes it clear why it’s appropriate to sue the oil and gas industry. Watch this video to learn how – and why – fires in the 21st Century are different – and much more dangerous – than those that came before. (Video on Charlie Angus YouTube Channel) Read More

In response to a Vancouver Sun article titled “Show us the money, communities tell province as B.C. flood strategy delayed to mid-2024”, North Vancouver resident Michelle Sheardown wrote in to the editor about the Sue Big Oil strategy and why it’s needed. (Letter in Vancouver Sun) Read More

Storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts have taken many lives and destroyed swathes of property in recent decades, with global heating making the events more frequent and intense. The study is the first to calculate a global figure for the increased costs directly attributable to human-caused global heating. It found average costs of $140bn a year from 2000 to 2019, although the figure varies significantly from year to year. The latest data shows $280bn in costs in 2022. (Article from The Guardian) Read More

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed in recent years against the fossil fuel industry for its role in the climate crisis. But few compare in scope and significance to the case being pursued in California, the world’s fifth-largest economy and a major oil and gas producer. The lawsuit argues some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels and seeks a compensation fund to pay for future damages caused by climate-related disasters in California. (Article from CBC News) Read More

California has filed a lawsuit against some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, claiming they deceived the public and downplayed the risks posed by fossil fuels. The civil lawsuit also seeks creation of a fund – financed by the companies – to pay for recovery efforts after devastating storms and fires. (Article in The Guardian) Read More

The state of California is suing several of the world’s biggest oil companies, claiming their actions have caused tens of billions of dollars in damage and that they deceived the public by downplaying the risks posed by fossil fuels. The civil case seeks creation of an abatement fund to pay for the future damages caused by climate related disasters in the state. (Article in the New York Times) Read More