The report oil companies are worried about: Climate attribution science
A new report from the US National Academies of Science highlights advancements in climate attribution science, which links specific extreme weather events to climate change. The fossil fuel industry is reportedly concerned that this maturing science could increase their legal liability for climate-related damages.
Why it matters
Improved scientific certainty in climate attribution could fundamentally shift the landscape of climate litigation and corporate accountability.
It’s our fault The report oil companies are worried about: Climate attribution science New report says our ability to tie weather damages to climate change is improving.
4 Credit: Zhen Li Credit: Zhen Li Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Climate change is being driven largely by the greenhouse gases we’ve pumped into the atmosphere, which trap more of the Sun’s energy there. That added energy increases the odds of extreme events: longer, more intense heat waves and droughts, interspersed with excessive precipitation. But these sorts of events have happened in the past—how can we tell if any given weather disaster has been made more likely by the climate?
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in