Over 1,000 Survivors of Climate Disasters Demand Federal Investigation of Big Oil for Climate Crimes

Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Public Citizen delivered 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.

Quotes:

“The 2018 Camp Fire burned down my family home in Paradise, took the lives of 84 neighbors, and left hundreds of families displaced for years. Now my friends are going through the unthinkable once again as another record breaking fire sweeps through Butte County. This year’s Park Fire is the 4th largest wildfire in California history. Let’s be clear, the fingerprints of the fossil fuel industry are all over it. The industry continues to ignore the catastrophic consequences of burning fossil fuels, which heats our atmosphere and increases the scale and frequency of disasters. The Department of Justice needs to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable now.” — Allen Myers, former resident of Paradise California and board member at Regenerating Paradise

“I’m a single mom of three who used all my savings to realize my dream of opening my clothing store and flower shop. The floods took everything. Rebuilding is a long road: everyone thinks the floodwaters recede and that’s it, you’re done. That couldn’t be further from the truth. But we have to keep going! I like to joke that I pay my bills with optimism. “Can I pay that in three installments” is basically my most asked question these days. The hardest is watching what it’s like for my kids. They are retraumatized every time there’s a flood warning. In fact, the whole community feels that way. And sometimes I have to make choices no parent should have to make – last month, I chose between groceries and sending my son to hockey camp. I just couldn’t tell him no. So I was hungry, but I’m still here. Meanwhile the rich oil execs get to keep making piles of money. It’s wrong. They’ve got to be held accountable and help rebuild the communities that have been impacted.” — Jenny Sebold, survivor of the Great Vermont Flood of 2023, Montpelier, VT

“Climate-induced disasters, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, caused by fossil fuel companies’ pollution and negligence cannot go unnoticed any longer. It’s unfair for myself, a single mom of six, and others in my community to continuously have to fight for clean air and clean water, care for sick children who are being poisoned by industry, and mourn the loss of loved ones dying from cancer daily all while these industries continue to pollute. As if that’s not enough we are also the ones most impacted by the disasters having to constantly evacuate and rebuild. We are tired of being resilient. It is high time we hold these companies accountable for their actions and demand that they pay for the climate crimes they have committed. We must make polluters pay for the damage they have caused to our environment and communities. They’ve caused this mess and they need to pay to mitigate it.” — Roishetta Ozane, founder, director, and chief executive officer of the Vessel Project of Louisiana and a survivor of hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, and pollution on the U.S. Gulf Coast

“Climate catastrophes are not natural disasters—they are crimes perpetrated by the fossil fuel industry. The human toll has been unimaginable, destroying entire communities, wrecking businesses that families built from the ground-up, and stealing lives. Climate survivors and their allies have had enough, and our message to the Justice Department is clear: investigate the fossil fuel industry and make polluters pay. Big Oil has been sacrificing our health and safety to line their pockets for over half a century. Survivors of climate crimes deserve justice no less than the victims of homicide, arson, assault and battery, armed robbery, and other felonies.” — Clara Vondrich, Senior Policy Counsel, Public Citizen

“Climate disaster survivors know who is responsible for their suffering. For decades, Big Oil lobbied against aggressive climate action, all while knowing how fossil fuels would drive extreme weather, deadly heat waves, floods and fire. As climate change increasingly and continuously disrupts weather patterns around the world, the number of climate survivors will also grow and languish for justice. The government has the moral responsibility to protect and defend its citizens, and the letter demands that the Department of Justice act on this obligation.” – Gabrielle Walton, Federal Campaigns Associate, Chesapeake Climate Action Network