The Case for Corporate Liability: Typhoon Odette and the Responsibility of Big Business
Written by Maisie Weyhing
Super Typhoon Odette struck Filipino land in December 2021, wreaking havoc on local communities. At its peak, the Category 5 storm sustained winds of over 155mph, killing over 400 people across the Philippines and South Asia. Now, more than four years later, 100 survivors of the storm are stepping forward with a lawsuit against Shell Corporations, confronting it for its role in pollution and its contribution to climate change, which may have exacerbated the severity of the storm. In this landmark “Odette Case”, the survivors are seeking financial compensation for the damage to their lives and communities caused by the storm. The case is still in the filing stages, however it has made national headlines as it directly relates to the conversation of corporate liability, or a business’s responsibility to make amends for the actions and impact that it causes.
There is currently no specific mandate that makes large companies, like Shell, pay for their direct contributions to climate change in the nature that the Odette Case is approaching it as. However, if the world ever wishes to actually make advances against the climate crisis, it is imperative that businesses are held financially accountable for their actions, including pollution or industrialization, as they relate to increasing climate change.
It is impossible to ignore the significant role that business’s pollution plays in the promotion of climate change.
Due to their endless focus on creation, design, production, and sales, businesses inherently have more opportunities to generate pollution than other sectors of society. This is especially true for large companies, like Shell, that have access to and control over lots of different resources and manufacturing mechanisms. In 2025, just 100 major companies accounted for 71% of global carbon emissions according to the IPCC. The sheer power over our entire lived environment that such a small group of companies has is frightening to say the least. In a world where the state of our environment matters now more than ever, it is incredibly important that we check the actions of these corporations.
Climate change has a significant financial burden on the average community as well.
Jumping off of that, businesses should be fined monetarily for their contributions to pollution, it should be noted how much of a financial impact that climate change truly does have on surrounding communities. According to the Brookings Institution, climate change is costing US households up to $1,000 a year. That is insane when the average US person’s salary is about $66k according to SoFi. Imagine how much this will increase as the climate change crisis continues to intensify. And large companies are just able to get away with their contributions to this financial crisis and harm, free of paying anything? Meanwhile, the average US citizen is paying a substantial amount of their yearly income due to actions created by the large businesses.
It is undeniable that climate change has significant implications for our future, through its impact on our health, natural environment, societal structure, economy, and more. Businesses are among the top, if not the most, consequential stakeholders in driving climate change, or any of its potential solutions. If we want to have any hope for maintaining any form of peace, or positive quality of life going forward, it is vital that businesses are held financially accountable for their actions, like pollution, in regards to climate change.
