- Young climate activists bring a case to Montana alleging that the state's policies endanger their future
- The case was brought on behalf of 16 young people who were between the ages of two and 18 when the litigation began
- The litigation also questions what, if anything, policymakers owe the next generations as climate change worsens
A group of young climate activists is bringing a case to Montana court alleging that the state's policies are exacerbating the effects of global warming, thus endangering their future as a generation.
The trial was set to begin on Monday, and the case was brought on behalf of 16 young climate activists between the ages of two and 18 when the litigation began. Now, the group is between the ages of five and 22, based on data from the plaintiffs' website.
Climate Activists Bring Case to Montana Court
The litigation also raised concern and questions regarding what, if anything, policymakers owe to young people and future generations as climate change worsens. The situation is set to bring about unprecedented floods, wildfires, and heatwaves, as per The Hill.
The case brought in Montana concerns the state's environmental review processes that permit energy and other infrastructure projects. The young plaintiffs specifically challenge a law in Montana that bars the consideration of the effects of climate change in this process.
The activists' case invokes Montana's Constitution, which gives residents of the state the right to a "clean and healthful environment." Judge Kathy Seely wrote in a recent court order that the limitation on climate considerations "clearly implicates Plaintiffs' fundamental right to a clean and healthful environment."
However, the state argued that what the plaintiffs are asking for is not plausible. A spokeswoman for Montana Attorney-General Austin Knudsen, Emilee Cantrell, said in a statement that the case should never have even made it to trial.
Addressing the Effects of Global Warming
On top of the case in Montana, a second climate suit based on environmental rights contained in a state Constitution will go to trial in a few months in Hawaii. According to the New York Times, this comes as the United States Supreme Court has just opened the door to trials possibly proceeding in several long-running climate cases where cities and states have filed lawsuits against oil companies.
A plaintiff among the group of young activists, Rikki Held, was among the first ones to testify in Monday's trial. She described how her family's 3,000-acre ranch in eastern Montana had been threatened by droughts, wildfires, and extreme weather, including heat waves and floods.
Held, at times, grew tearful while talking about her experiences working through those harsh conditions while also trying to maintain her family's livelihood. She said that she knew climate change was a global issue but noted that the state of Montana needs to take responsibility for its part.
On the other hand, state leaders have opposed the accusations, calling the proceedings a show trial and a "gross injustice." In the state's opening statement, an assistant attorney general, Michael Russell, said that Montana's emissions are too minuscule to make any difference, said the New York Times.
