Era of Climate Responsibility Kicks Off: Fresh Study Attributes $28 Trillion in Losses to Climate Change
Fossil Fuel Giants Accountable for Over Half of Climate Damages, According to Dartmouth Study
A groundbreaking study led by Christopher Callahan and Justin Mankin of Dartmouth College has linked over $28 trillion in climate damages to the emissions of 111 specific companies, with the top 10 contributors responsible for more than half of this total.
The study, which used more than 1,000 climate simulations and historical emissions over 137 years, mirrors the forensic rigor seen in weather event attribution science. Michael Mann, a climate scientist, argues that the $28 trillion figure is a conservative estimate.
Saudi Aramco and Russia's Gazprom each inflicted over $2 trillion in heat-related economic harm, according to the research. The other top contributors are Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, the National Iranian Oil Company, Pemex, Coal India, and the British Coal Corporation.
Among the 111 companies analyzed, ten fossil fuel giants were responsible for more than half of the total damages. The research presents a clear, replicable, and legally useful template for potential future suits.
The study narrowly focused on heat damages and excluded a host of other costly consequences, such as rising sea levels, agricultural losses, disease spread, and biodiversity collapse. If broadly implemented, the template could signal a revolutionary change where fossil fuel interests are held accountable for their part in global ruin.
In courtrooms and legislatures around the world, the absence of credible corporate counterarguments could shift the tide in favor of plaintiffs seeking climate reparations. At least 68 climate damage lawsuits have been filed globally, and this study may rewrite the script for climate litigation by providing a strong causal link.
The path to corporate responsibility is still uphill, but the "overwhelmingly strong scientific evidence" laid out by Callahan and Mankin might finally tip the balance. Imperial College London's Friederike Otto stated that the study's findings might finally tip the balance in favor of climate justice.
However, some of the implicated companies, including Aramco, Gazprom, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and BP, did not respond to media inquiries about the study's findings. Shell declined to comment on the study's findings as well.
As history has shown, change may seem impossible until it happens. The era of plausible deniability for corporate polluters may be drawing to a long-overdue close. If the findings of this study hold up in court, it could mark a significant step towards corporate accountability for climate damages.
Read also:
- Symptoms of Thrombophlebitis Include: Pain, Inflammation, Redness, and Various Other Markers
- Chest Pain Caused by Compressed Nerves: A Possibility Explored
- Incidence and risk factors associated with cystic fibrosis: A statistical overview
- Hypothyroidism in Canines: A Comprehensive Look, Written by Catherine Barnette, DVM, and Reviewed by Emily Oliver, CVT on 07/31/2025. Published on 07/21/2023. Sharing options include Facebook, Twitter, Email, and Print.
