New Study Links 174 Companies to Deadly Heat Waves

One hundred and eighty of the world’s largest oil, gas, coal, and cement producers are collectively responsible for the heat waves that have killed hundreds of thousands of people over the past two decades. A new study published today in Nature has, for the first time, directly tied hundreds of heat waves to these so-called carbon major entities.

Although communities and activists have long pointed to these entities’ role in driving extreme heat, few judicial cases have held any company accountable. Courts often dismiss lawsuits for lack of evidence. This new study provides crucial data that could help make justice possible.

The carbon majors “have long claimed that the impacts of climate change are too far removed from emissions for any principle of accountability to apply,” said climate scientist Dr. Christopher Callahan at Indiana University Bloomington, who was not involved in the research. This study, he said, “shows that that claim is false.”