Regulatory Shaming and Climate Obstruction

This is a guest note by the talented Dr. Sharon Yadin, a senior lecturer of law and regulation at the Yezreel Valley College School of Public Administration and Public Policy. It was originally published in Yale Journal on Regulation’s Notice and Comment, and draws from her Harvard Journal on Legislation article Regulatory Shaming and the Problem of Corporate Climate Obstruction. For several decades, the oil and gas industry has been extensively involved in a campaign of climate denial aimed at safeguarding their financial interests and evading regulation. In order to obstruct fossil fuel regulation, the industry has knowingly misled the public and policymakers about its role in the climate crisis. As it turns out, major oil and gas companies have implemented organized climate policy obstruction tactics, which extend to aggressive lobbying and litigation as well as media campaigns, all while fully knowing the devastating implications of burning oil, coal, and gas for the planet and…