Filipino inquiry finds big polluters 'morally and legally liable' for climate damage
Source: The Guardian
Filipino inquiry finds big polluters ‘morally and legally liable’ for climate damage
Report on effects of Typhoon Haiyan says fossil and cement firms engaged in ‘wilful obfuscation’ of science
Isabella Kaminski
Fri 6 May 2022 17.25 BST
Last modified on Fri 6 May 2022 17.51 BST
The world’s most polluting companies have a moral and legal obligation to address the harms of climate change because of their role in spreading misinformation, according to an inquiry brought about by Filipino typhoon survivors.
Experts say the long-awaited report published on Friday, which concludes that coal, oil, mining and cement firms engaged in “wilful obfuscation” of climate science and obstructed efforts towards a global transition to clean energy, could add fuel to climate lawsuits around the world.
The inquiry by the Philippines Commission on Human Rights began seven years ago after a petition by survivors of Typhoon Haiyan and local NGOs.
As well as considering the human rights impacts of climate breakdown in the Philippines, it drew on scientific, legal and personal evidence from around the world to examine the role played by 47 of the world’s most polluting companies in the climate crisis.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/06/filipino-inquiry-finds-big-polluters-morally-and-legally-liable-for-climate-damage