News/Politics thread by @ClimateJoe

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Just received this (inaccurate) message from a Spectator journalist about an extremely important topic that many people have never even thought about.

So I'm replying by way of a 🧵.

2

There are several groups who are using international criminal law to seek the prosecution of those who cause mass death, mass suffering and annihilation of low-lying states through climate destruction.

It must surely be only a matter of time before some of them are successful.

                            3
                        
This isn’t about “people who have taken insufficient action on climate change” - that sounds very mild and passive doesn’t it?

My local council in Wandsworth have taken insufficient action on climate change, but I’m not expecting @RaviGovindia1  or @CllrSimonHogg to be put on trial any time soon.

                            4
                        
We’re talking about fossil fuel execs, whose own scientists warned them for decades that their activities would wreak havoc on humanity and nature. But instead of winding down those activities, they spent billions promoting climate lies and lobbying against climate action, as @janefonda explains here.

                        1:54

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We could be talking about politicians like @Nigel_Farage, who denies basic, century-old climate science, and whose Reform party received more than 92% of its donations from oil & gas interests, highly polluting industries, and climate science deniers since Dec 2019. It’s almost as if he’s being paid to tell the most consequential lie in human history.

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What I said at the hustings - and it always surprises me that this seems not to have occurred to journalists - is that we could also be talking about newspapers and magazines who have consistently lied about climate science.

For example, The Spectator.

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Once the fossil fuel industry is over, perhaps there could be something like the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which seemed to lead to very deep experiences and inner transformations.

I believe in nonviolence, not in vengeance, so I would support this.

8

But if the fossil fuel industry continues, and if media outlets continue to lie, then the young and those on the frontline of climate breakdown will surely demand justice.

Dramatists have here been able to imagine what journalists seem to struggle with. theguardian.com/stage/2022/aug…

9

So who are these groups?

Here in the UK, the UK Youth Climate Coalition has a case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against @bp_plc.

ukycc.com/climatecrime

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Climate Genocide Act Now has a case against five senior UK politicians at the ICC.

climatecriminals.uk

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There's a case against former President Bolsonaro of Brazil at the @IntlCrimCourt for genocide committed against the indigenous peoples of the Amazon which includes evidence relating to climate breakdown.

climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/th…

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A few weeks ago, a group took the initial steps to commence criminal proceedings against the bosses of @TotalEnergies.

theguardian.com/environment/ar…

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And there are actually quite a few people talking about this stuff in the media, albeit not in the Spectator.

A paper in the Harvard Environmental Law Review called for charging big US oil firms with homicide.

theguardian.com/environment/20…

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"Taking Big Oil to court for ‘climate homicide’ isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds" wrote @katemyoder.

grist.org/accountability…

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"It’s time to try fossil-fuel executives for crimes against humanity" wrote @KateAronoff back in 2019.

jacobin.com/2019/02/fossil…

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“Global warming is a crime against humanity” wrote @ltorcello more than seven years ago.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

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As we accelerate towards climate breakdown, with each new flood or fire or famine, the momentum towards these prosecutions will only get stronger.

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If you'd like to support my election campaign, I have a crowdfunder here.

crowdfunder.co.uk/p/campaign-for…

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breaking news from the US

x.com/AaronRegunberg…

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A leading campaigner for prosecution of climate criminals just called and said "All we want is for these people to think twice and change their policies."

I couldn't agree more - this is not about vengeance, it's about trying to keep Earth broadly liveable.

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"Are Big Oil and Big Coal Climate Criminals?" asked the New York Times with input from leading climate scientists... way back in 2008

archive.nytimes.com/dotearth.blogs…

Just received this (inaccurate) message from a Spectator journalist...

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