As climate awareness continues to grow, all eyes are on Big Oil. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected petitions from oil companies to move lawsuits from state courts to federal courts, which are considered more pro-business.
According to Grist, around 30 lawsuits against Big Oil have been filed in the United States, a trend that began in California six years ago as the state tried to make oil giants pay for misleading the public about the dangers of burning polluting fuels.
Most of the cases have been delayed as oil companies tried to keep them out of federal courts. However, the Supreme Court struck down their request regarding three different cases, including one in Minnesota, which means oil executives could soon have to answer to a jury.
“It’s the industry’s worst nightmare to have to explain their lies in front of a jury,” Richard Wiles, president of the environmental advocacy organization The Center for Climate Integrity, told Grist.
And now that the cases can move forward, there’s even more damning evidence that could be presented to a jury based on researchers’ findings. For example, just last year, a study by Harvard University and the University of Potsdam researchers found that Exxon’s own scientists predicted the warming climate with just as much accuracy as independent scientists nearly 40 years ago.