Prosecutors in Arizona are considering the possibility of pushing homicide charges against major oil companies for deaths resulting from a July 2023 heatwave, according to a recent legal memorandum.
The document, released by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen on Wednesday, argues that there is substantial justification for state and local authorities to investigate fossil fuel companies.
“[T]he case for prosecuting fossil fuel companies for climate-related deaths is strong enough to merit the initiation of investigations by state and local prosecutors,” the document says.
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It suggests that charges such as reckless manslaughter or second-degree murder could be pursued due to the extreme weather event that claimed hundreds of lives.
Climate scientists have attributed the unprecedented heatwave, deemed nearly impossible without the influence of the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel emissions, as a primary cause of the fatalities.
“Some were homeless, like the man who died after breaking both legs jumping over a fence in a desperate attempt to find shade outside an elementary school; others were well off, like the woman who died in her $1 million home in Scottsdale,” the memo says, adding that while some victims were older and had pre-existing health conditions, the others were young and healthy.
In a statement, climate activist and author Bill McKibben said, “What’s happened to the climate is a crime: after a fair warning from scientists about what would happen, Big Oil went right ahead pouring carbon into the atmosphere, and now there’s a huge pile of dead bodies (and a larger one of dead dreams).”
