A new podcast about climate lawsuits Damage has been launched. The show is hosted by investigative journalist and independent podcast network Critical Frequency founder Amy Westervelt and a team of international reporters.
There is plenty for the show to dive into.
“Right now around 200 court cases are making their way through legal systems around the world, with one goal: To hold companies and governments accountable for their roles in the climate crisis,” says Westervelt. “They hinge on different legal strategies, but they’re all fighting for one plaintiff. It’s all of us, and life on this planet.”
The first season explores “rights-of-nature” laws, which bring Indigenous approaches to nature into Western judicial systems by giving ecosystems the same rights that individuals have. The first season will explore some wild examples of this including wild rice suing the state of Minnesota over a pipeline permit and a cloud forest suing the government of Ecuador over mining.
Future seasons will explore a former BP lawyer suing the country of Guyana for allowing ExxonMobil to drill offshore, young people who are leading climate suits around the world, whether oil companies are legally liable to foot the bill for climate adaptation and a new type of defense for activists arrested for disabling fossil fuel infrastructure.
Episode one is now available here.
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