By Abbas Nazil
Carbon emissions from the world’s largest fossil fuel companies have been directly linked to dozens of deadly heatwaves for the first time, marking a significant breakthrough in efforts to hold polluters legally accountable.
The study, published in Nature, revealed that emissions from just 14 of the biggest firms, including ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco, were each responsible for making at least 51 heatwaves virtually impossible without their pollution.
Researchers found these emissions made the events up to 10,000 times more likely, with devastating consequences for lives, crops, and communities.
Global heating has intensified heatwaves worldwide, contributing to an estimated 500,000 heat-related deaths annually.
The 2021 Pacific Northwest heatwave, for instance, was made almost 3C hotter.
Scientists calculated that from 2010 to 2019, the 213 major heatwaves analyzed became on average 200 times more likely due to climate change, with fossil fuel emissions accounting for about half of the increase in intensity.
Experts hailed the findings as a “leap forward” for climate accountability.
They argue the ability to trace extreme weather events back to individual companies provides strong evidence for potential liability.
Courts, including the International Court of Justice and German high courts, have already set precedents that fossil fuel firms could be held responsible for damages.
Campaigners said the study now allows specific attribution: “Saudi Aramco did this.
ExxonMobil did this,” highlighting corporate responsibility in real-world suffering.
Despite this progress, legal hurdles remain, such as determining jurisdiction and addressing whether companies should also be liable for customers’ emissions.
Still, researchers stress the evidence builds an increasingly solid case for climate lawsuits, underscoring that denial will not erase the mounting liability facing carbon majors.
