For decades, fossil fuel companies like Exxon, Chevron, and Shell buried the truth. Their own scientists warned them that burning fossil fuels would overheat the planet—but instead of acting, they funded disinformation campaigns, denied the science, and stalled change. They've profited while the planet burned.

Now we’re living with the consequences: killer heatwaves, catastrophic floods, rising seas, and lost lives. Julie Leon was one of them.

Julie died alone during the historic 2021 Washington heatwave—a disaster scientists say was made 150 times more likely by climate change. Her daughter, Misti Leon, is now filing the first-ever wrongful death lawsuit in the U.S. against major oil companies for climate harm. She’s not just seeking damages. She’s demanding something powerful: that these companies launch a public education campaign to correct decades of climate lies.

And she’s not alone. Across the country, states and cities are suing Big Oil for misleading the public while reaping massive profits. They want fossil fuel giants to pay for the damage: the cost of rebuilding after floods, protecting against wildfires, and saving lives in extreme heat.

But part of justice must be telling the truth. Just as the tobacco industry was forced to fund anti-smoking campaigns after decades of deception, Big Oil should be made to finance climate truth campaigns—about what they knew, what they did, and what it means for our future.

We’re calling on Congress and federal regulators to support this demand. The public deserves the truth. And those who profited from the lies must be the ones to pay for it.

Julie Leon’s death cannot be in vain. Let her story lead the fight for climate accountability.

Photo: Getty Images via npr.org