"States and municipalities that are suing oil and gas companies over climate change may have a new weapon in court: scientific studies.

But groups tied to the fossil fuel industry are launching a preemptive attack on scientists' findings before they can be used in the courtroom, where they could help prove the connection between the industry's planet-warming emissions and climate-fueled disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires.

At issue is attribution science, a field of research that examines whether — and how much — climate change contributes to extreme weather events."

Maxine Joselow reports for E&E News April 16, 2021. [2]