Who should pay for climate change in Minnesota?
By Sarah Horner, MCEA Communications Director
Minnesotans are already feeling the worsening impacts of the climate crisis — from dangerous summer heat to wildfire smoke that makes the air unsafe to breathe. And while federal inaction is frustrating, progress is still possible. At MCEA, we know that there are always opportunities within the obstacles.
During a recent MCEA webinar, three of Minnesota’s leading climate voices explained how our state can shift more of the financial burden of climate change onto the industries most responsible for causing it. Their perspectives point to potential paths forward on one of the most pressing issues of our time. They also highlight the role we all can play in securing accountability on climate change.
Here are the five most important things to know from their conversation.
1.) Minnesota is in the process of calculating the cost of climate change — and the final numbers will likely be staggering.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is conducting a comprehensive study to quantify the costs of climate change in our state. The final report will go to the Legislature in January. We already have a glimpse into the scale. Between 2010 and 2021, Minnesota received an average of $29.4 million per year from FEMA for climate-related disasters, and in 2023 alone, the state spent $3.5 billion responding to climate impacts.
But according to Aurora Vautrin, political and legislative director for 100 Percent and a panelist at our webinar, the state’s study will consider a lot more than disaster relief, including:
- The cost of transitioning every sector of Minnesota’s economy to be carbon neutral
- The investments needed to adapt infrastructure and communities to be more resilient to future climate impacts
2.) A small number of companies are responsible for a large share of climate pollution — and they tried to keep the public in the dark.
Research shows that roughly 20 companies are responsible for one-third of all worldwide climate emissions. This comes from the landmark 2013 Carbon Majors Report by Richard Heede of the Climate Accountability Institute.
Another major revelation, uncovered by the Columbia School of Journalism in 2015, showed that fossil fuel companies knew the climate risks of their products and actively misled the public about them.
The deception is a central reason states, including Minnesota, have filed lawsuits against Big Oil.
3.) Minnesota has multiple paths toward climate accountability
Through the courts: MCEA’s Chief Legal Officer, Leigh Currie, helped spearhead Minnesota’s ongoing lawsuit against Big Oil while serving in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. The suit seeks accountability for the harm caused by climate deception to Minnesotans. Other states are pursuing similar cases, and a couple of new lawsuits are emerging against major meat producers for their climate deception.
Through the Legislature: States like Vermont and New York have passed Climate Superfund laws, which require fossil fuel companies to pay a share of climate-related costs. Other states such as Maine, have introduced similar legislation. Minnesota could adopt a similar model, which would likely involve one state agency calculating the cost of climate damages and another determining which companies are responsible for it — and by how much.
Through carbon taxes or cap-and-trade: Nearly 30 countries have some form of carbon tax, and several U.S. states are exploring similar options. Another avenue for some accountability is cap-and-trade, which allows companies to buy and sell emission allowances.
4.) A legislative solution is possible
Minnesota House Rep. Athena Hollins told webinar attendees that, despite a challenging legislative landscape this upcoming session, she sees potential for real action on climate accountability. That’s because she said Minnesotans on both sides of the political aisle agree that they shouldn’t be stuck paying for a mess they didn’t make. She called the Climate Superfund model the “most palatable” of the ones mentioned, but cautioned that convincing legislators who increasingly answer to lobbyists rather than voters would require significant grassroots organizing and public engagement.
5.) Minnesotans need to speak out to create change
As we head toward the 2026 Legislative Session, the panelists urged Minnesotans to be ready to get involved. 100 Percent is already soliciting climate stories from people across the state so that advocates will be armed with information and testimonials to help convince lawmakers that Minnesotans want action on this issue. Share your own story here. Also, keep an eye on your inbox for emails from MCEA about opportunities for action.