What gave Hurricane Katrina its extra-special punch?  Was it global warming, a crumbling infrastructure, official bungling, something else or some combination of it all?

These questions might sound like fodder for grad students or pundits, but they could soon be explored in a court of law, thanks to a class action lawsuit filed by a group of Mississippi residents victimized by Hurricane Katrina.

They’re going after the big guns, too, seeking compensation and punitive damages from the likes of Shell, Exxon Mobil, BP and Chevron.

Their argument is that, since Big Oil runs the energy and fossil fuel industries, and these industries produce greenhouse gases, which cause global warming, and global warming makes hurricanes worse… Big Oil owes them.

Filed shortly after the storm struck in 2005, the lawsuit has made it through some key legal hurdles, and could have a hearing in front of nine federal appeals court judges as soon as early summer.

But it’s already making some waves.

On one hand, there are those who view this case as an attempt to hold industries accountable for the long-term effects of their actions.

Others see it as a jobs bill for lawyers.

While showing damages isn’t likely to be a problem for the plaintiffs, since Hurricane Katrina wrecked havoc in many Mississippi communities, establishing a clear cause and effect relationship between their suffering and Big Oil’s actions will be another story.

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