Youth’s Landmark Climate Change Case Moves Forward

| April 11, 2016 | Leave a Comment

The 21 young Plaintiffs involved in the landmark climate change case in Oregon, received a major victory on April 8th!

“These plaintiffs sued the federal government for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty and property, and their right to essential public trust resources, by permitting, encouraging, and otherwise enabling continued exploitation, production, and combustion of fossil fuels.” On Friday, the federal District Court upheld their claims, denying motions of the government and fossil fuel industry seeking to dismiss the lawsuit.

“…this decision marks a tipping point on the scales of justice. Youth voices are uniting around the world to demand that Government uphold our constitutional rights and protect the planet for our and future generations’ survivability. This will be the trial of the century that will determine if we have a right to a livable future, or if corporate power will continue to deny our rights for the sake of their own wealth.” –Kelsey Juliana, youth plaintiff from Eugene, OR

You can find the full ruling from U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin here. The ruling will be reviewed by Judge Ann Aiken, a judge in the same federal District Court.

Learn more about the case here.

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