A new poll finds that most voters support litigation against big oil, while nearly half would also back the filing of criminal charges.
On May 3 and 4 of this year, Data for Progress and nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen surveyed voters in the United States, asking the question of whether respondents believed that “oil and gas companies should be held legally accountable for their contributions to climate change,” including impacts on extreme weather and public health. 62 percent of voters said yes; this included 84 percent of Democrats, 40 percent of Republicans and 59 percent of Independents.
The survey also asked, “Knowing what you do now, do you support or oppose criminal charges being filed against oil and gas companies to hold them accountable for deaths caused by their contributions to climate change?” to which 49 percent of respondents said they would “somewhat” or “strongly” support such action, in comparison with 39 percent who indicated they would not.
Of those surveyed, reports EcoWatch, 68 percent of Democrats indicated support for criminal charges being brought against big oil and almost a third of Republicans - 32 percent - also said they would back the idea.
Lawsuits against big oil have been ramping up all over the world. Communities across the US have been suing fossil fuel companies for allegedly misleading the public regarding the climate crisis, and just last week France brought the first-ever criminal lawsuit related to climate.
Currently there are 40 civil lawsuits brought by cities and states in the U.S. against oil majors. But no criminal cases, yet. One argument for this strategy is that oil and gas companies, knowing their pollution had potential deadly consequences while delaying climate action, could be possible grounds for reckless or negligent homicide charges.