A judge has ruled in favor of more than a dozen young people who came together to sue the state of Montana for enacting legislation they say benefits the fossil fuel industry while harming residents and wildlife, a win environmental activists say could empower others to take action on climate change.... [+]
first youth climate change trial at Montana's First Judicial District Court on June 12, 2023, in Helena, Montana.Sixteen plaintiffs ranging in age from 5 to 22 went to trial in June and claimed that Montana officials violated their constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment” by repeatedly choosing to support the state’s extensive coal and fossil fuel industry over cleaner energy alternatives.
In Held v. State of Montana, the plaintiffs asked the court to confirm that Montana’s pro-fossil fuel policies, which include a law that bars state agencies from considering environmental impacts when permitting energy projects, contributed to climate change and are a constitutional violation.
Lawyers for the state argued that, on a global scale, Montana barely contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and said striking down the law would have “no meaningful impact or appreciable effect” on the climate,Seeley disagreed, adding that greenhouse gas emissions have “proven to be a substantial factor in causing climate impacts” and have led to “harm and injury” to the young people who filed the suit,claimed they’ve experienced respiratory health issues due to climate change impacts like...
The lawsuit also asked that the state be ordered to develop a remedial plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the court said that exceeded its authority.