In one of the Democratic Party’s recent debates, former Vice President Joe Biden raised the trial lawyers’ rally cry: Sue ’em! Societal woes got you down? Don’t worry — there’s a lawsuit for that! Opioid crisis? Sue. Climate change? Sue. Teen vaping? Sue.

Never mind that there are state and federal agencies appropriately addressing each of these issues. Never mind that opioid deaths are down 4.1% thanks to the Drug Enforcement Agency’s opioid production reduction and the Justice Department’s prosecution of negligent doctors and pharmacists. Never mind that U.S. emissions of key pollutants are decreasing, in some cases as much as 23%. Never mind that adult smokers for the first time have access to a safer alternative to tobacco. Facts just don’t make the same flashy social statement that suing evil industry makes though.