The Supreme Court’s Climate Change Showdown
The Supreme Court’s Climate Change Showdown  
Podcast: Sanity Check
Published On: Fri Sep 18 2026
Description: The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear one of the most consequential climate-related cases in the country this October: Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County. At issue is whether cities and counties can sue oil and gas companies for alleged damages caused by climate change, or whether federal law prevents state courts from hearing these claims.Boulder County and the City of Boulder are seeking damages they say are needed to address flooding, wildfires, drought, and other costs they attribute to fossil fuel use. The energy companies argue that climate change is a global issue that cannot be addressed through a patchwork of local lawsuits that could effectively dictate national energy policy.In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines the history of the Boulder case, the arguments before the Supreme Court, and what the justices' decision could mean for dozens of similar lawsuits across the country. He also takes a step back to ask a more fundamental question: Who should be responsible for the costs attributed to climate change, and can we really attribute every flood, fire, drought, or other environmental event to fossil fuel emissions?Whatever the Court decides, this case could have enormous consequences for the energy industry, local governments, and the future of climate litigation in America.https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/supreme-court/4675555/supreme-court-next-term-cases-climate-immigration/https://www.oyez.org/cases/2026/25-170https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/suncor-energy-inc-v-county-commissioners-of-boulder-county/Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.