In the U.S. and across the world, there’s a growing understanding that a relatively small number of global corporations, governments, and multilateral institutions are responsible for most of the severe climate and environmental harm that communities (especially the most vulnerable communities) are facing today.

Along with this understanding, there’s growing interest in holding the responsible parties accountable. This includes fossil fuel companies (such as Exxon and Chevron), big private and multilateral banks who finance fossil fuel infrastructure (such as JP Morgan, Citi, the World Bank, and its private sector lending arm, the IFC), and governments who protect and promote the global domination of fossil fuels (such as the U.S. and Saudi governments). One of various ways of holding these parties accountable is to get them to compensate communities for the harm they have caused, and pay for climate adaptation and mitigation in vulnerable communities.

Please join the Institute for Policy Studies for a forum on these critical issues. We will explore questions such as:

• Who is disproportionately responsible for climate and environmental destruction, and who disproportionately pays the price?
• What are some ongoing efforts in the United States, Southern Africa, and elsewhere to hold the responsible parties accountable?
• What are some political and institutional roadblocks that prevent true accountability?
• What forms of social movement pressure can help remove these roadblocks?

Speakers will include:

• Patrick Bond, Professor of Political Economy, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
• Richard Lewis, Lawyer, Hausfeld law firm, South Africa
• Basav Sen, Climate Justice Project Director, Institute for Policy Studies
• Kirk Herbertson, Earth Rights International

We’ll broadcast the event live on the Institute for Policy Studies Facebook page from 11:00 to 12:00 EST.

Send your questions to our Facebook Live post once the event starts, or tweet us at @IPS_DC with hashtag #MakeBigOilPay

Think you can make it? RSVP here for a chance to get your questions in first. DC-area residents can join the event in person at the Institute for Policy Studies, in our Raskin Room.