Around the country, global heating is increasing the frequency, intensity, and duration of summer heat waves. The recent triple-digit temperatures across the Pacific Northwest, where air conditioning in homes isn’t common, highlight the real-world hardships caused by extreme heat exposure and how the elderly and homeless suffer disproportionately from physical discomfort and worse health outcomes.

Mitigating such public health issues, along with damage to infrastructure and losses in tourism revenue and agriculture, are among the major costs of climate change in Baltimore. Now, the city is looking for retribution.

In a recent lawsuit, the city argues that fossil fuel companies should be held responsible for such costs because they knowingly contributed to the climate crisis. Baltimore’s case is one of more than 20 suits brought by a range of other cities, states, and counties that are suing the major oil conglomerates for driving the climate crisis and offloading the financial burden onto the American public.

The legal strategy is a novel approach toward addressing the climate crisis, and some legal experts believe Baltimore’s suit may be the bellwether for similar efforts across the country. The case has caught the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court, which in May ruled in favor of the oil companies over a legal technicality. While the ruling gives the fossil fuel industry the green light to pursue arguing their case in federal court, where they believe they will face better odds than in state court, the legal process is expected to reveal new information on what the industry knew of the environmental destruction brought by climate change.

Read the full article about reparations for deadly heat waves by Sushma Subramanian at YES! Magazine.