Louisiana Is Sinking and our Politicians Are Letting It Happen. Can We Sue Them?
Terns and gulls gather on West Grand Terre with a rock moving excavator seen in the background. (Photo by Max Becherer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune)
I think I’ve discovered a way to get Louisiana politicians to stop denying the truth that the only way to prevent the Gulf of Mexico from swallowing much of the state’s bottom third within the next four decades is with regulations dramatically cutting greenhouse gas emission soon.
It’s simple: Make every voter place a mirror next to pictures of their children and copies of their mortgage and paychecks.
I came to this solution on a winding path that started with this question: If every other segment of our society—individuals, businesses, organizations—can be held accountable for damages caused by their products or actions, why can’t politicians?
It is a well-established principle of our legal system that we are responsible for our actions. And ignorance is no defense. Tort law states that you can be found guilty for the consequences of your decisions and products if you knew or should have known about the dangers that would result.
Well, the dangers Louisiana and the nation face from accelerating sea level rise due to global warming caused mainly by greenhouse gas emissions has been known for more than a decade. And earlier this month the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ended years of uncertainty by declaring it was “indisputable” that warming is underway, humans are responsible and the dire impacts already underway (fire, drought, floods and hurricanes) will get more severe in the decades ahead unless emissions are significantly reduced quickly.
Yet Louisiana politicians still fight the regulations needed.
Read the rest of the article at The Times-Picayune.
