Question of whether taxpayers or fossil fuel companies pay for climate change damage heads to Supreme Court

Photo: President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin make an announcement in the Roosevelt Room on rescinding the 2009 Environmental Protection Agency endangerment finding, Thursday, February 12, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok). Attribution: “P20260212DT-0062” by The White House via Flickr. United States Government Work. Article by Patrick Parenteau. The Conversation – September 30, 2026.

Climate change is causing billions of dollars’ worth of damage every year from floods, fires, droughts and other consequences of a rapidly warming planet. Dozens of states, cities, counties and tribes have sued major oil companies. The lawsuits demand reimbursements for the costs of recovery efforts, reconstruction and work to protect people and property from climate-related damage. The crux of their argument is an allegation of fraud, a claim that the companies knew they were contributing to climate change but did not tell the public the truth about how burning fossil fuels warms the climate. […]

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