Mississippians sue over climate change

A smashing legal assault against Corporate America for contributing to climate change is long overdue.

After an Alaska village launched a suit over climate change ruining locals' livelihoods, Mississippi farmers and other residents whose lives were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina have joined the cause.

The basis of the suit is this: Energy companies released greenhouse gases that contributed to climate change. This melted sea ice and increased sea levels - which added to the hurricane's damage.

Even the ultraconservative U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recognized the plaintiffs' standing to sue. This shows how weak Big Business's heavy-handed refusal to accept responsibility for climate change is. The polluters don't have a legal leg to stand on.

The Fifth Circuit's decision will likely encourage more climate change lawsuits - as well it should. Corporate America had years to mend its ways, yet it dragged its feet.

(Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/10/19/hurricane-katrina-victims-have-standing-to-sue-over-global-warming)