[greenyes] Climate Disruption - Prospects for Litigation Raised

["Peter Anderson" <anderson@no.address>]

TERRA.WIRE

Climate change: Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of law

PARIS (AFP) May 29, 2005
You are a small island state, watching your low coastline being slowly 
gobbled up by rising seas and eroded by storms.
You are an Australian or African farmer whose crops have been turned to dust 
by the third successive year of drought.
You are a low-altitude ski resort in the French Alps, staring at yet another 
winter of snowless slopes.
You are a British houseowner, whose pretty riverside home became uninsurable 
and lost two-thirds of its value after the authorities designated it in a 
zone liable to floods.
What do you do?
Well, today, you'd probably just shrug your shoulders and blame bad luck or 
the gods of weather. In the future, though, you may prefer to phone your 
attorney.
Governments, oil producers, coal-fired power plants or their corporate 
inheritors, even auto companies which make gas-guzzling SUVs -- all are 
tempting targets for climate-change lawsuits in the future, says a small but 
growing body of legal opinion.
"Litigation on climate-related damage is clearly on the horizon," says 
Richard Lord, a senior London attorney in commercial law.
He draws a parallel with lawsuits on tobacco and asbestos that were 
initially tossed out of court, but doggedly returned and decades later 
resulted in damages in the tens of billions of dollars.
But these sums would no doubt be dwarfed by any ruling that found a 
government or corporation deliberately promoted use of a damaging 
greenhouse-gas pollutant, was obstructive about cleaning it up or covered up 
knowledge about the threat.
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FOR FULL ARTICLE: http://www.terradaily.com/2005/050529020426.j3pnzh59.html
_________________________
Peter Anderson, President
RECYCLEWORLDS CONSULTING
4513 Vernon Blvd. Suite 15
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Ph: (608) 231-1100
Fax: (608) 233-0011
Cell: (608) 698-1314
eMail: anderson@no.address
web: www.recycleworlds.net

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