Don Brunell - Disorder in the courts

As the debate rages over the causes and consequences of global warming, one impact is certain: Global warming is about to create an avalanche of lawsuits against the federal government and private industry.

In October, the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that residents and landowners along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi could sue 33 energy companies and utilities for damages they suffered from Hurricane Katrina. The plaintiffs claim the companies emitted greenhouse gases (GHG) that contributed to global warming, raised sea levels and created conditions that strengthened the Category...