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Kivalina, a minute Inupiat Eskimo village with only 400 residents located just off the Northwestern coast of Alaska, doesn’t have a hotel, restaurant, or movie theatre. But what it does have is a huge lawsuit that might just deal the devastating blow to major greenhouse gas emitting companies needed to change the way the U.S. handles climate change. Kivalina is accusing ExxonMobile, Shell Oil, and 22 other fuel and utilities companies of increasing the global warming which has led to the drastic erosion of the small island’s coasts. In the past sea ice surrounded the island during the winter months preventing heavy wind and wave erosion. However, the sea ice no longer forms due to warmer temperatures. “We live in anxiety during high-winds seasons” said Janet Mitchell, Kivalina’s administrator. Kivalina is asking the 24 companies to pay for its relocation to mainland Alaska which could cost  as much as $400 million.

This case is just one of three large lawsuits filed by environmentalists, private lawyers and state officials against major greenhouse gas emitting companies and the cases are actually gaining momentum. James Tierney, the director of the National State Attorneys General program at Columbia Law School, believes that the Kivalina case will still have a major impact even if it doesn’t get far. Tierney notes that in its complaint Kivalina claims that the energy industry acted “to suppress the awareness of the link”  between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming “through front groups, fake citizens organizations and bogus scientific bodies.” This approach is very similar to past claims against big Tabacco that resulted in settlements and increased government regulation.

Even though many believe that environmental standards are best set through legislation, the courts may prove to be most affective when it comes to dealing with climate change.

To read more check out the full article on The New York Times