If you have ever been to the state of Montana, I hope you have been able to visit some of its natural wonders like Glacier National Park, and the magnificent rivers that flow through the state. It seems that young people are very proud of their beautiful state but are worried about what the future holds for its natural beauty. In the case of Held v. Montana, the first constitutional climate trial in the history of the United States, sixteen teenagers filed a lawsuit against the state of Montana and the trial has already begun. The basis of the lawsuit is that by enacting pro fossil-fuel policies, the state violated the plaintiff’s constitutional rights to a healthy environment. There are other similar constitutional, youth-led lawsuits pending in four different states. To support their claims, some of the plaintiff-teenagers testified about the condition of their environment pointing to the rivers getting lower, the air quality getting worse from fires, and the melting glaciers in Glacier National Park. The skeptics, and perhaps the defendant state of Montana, may try to convince the judge that Montana, having a population of less than 1.5 million people, could not possibly generate an amount of pollution to create any concern. But one of the plaintiff’s experts in this trial has already testified that the energy consumed within the state of Montana, even with its relatively small population, creates more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire country of Ireland with a population six times larger than Montana. I am certain a lot of people are watching this case and the similar cases pending to learn the outcomes of the lawsuits. We will keep you posted. A key message here is look at what these brave young people did when state representatives were not listening to them. They certainly found a way to get people’s attention. Everyone can help to make a change and join in this important social movement. LETYOUR VOICE BE HEARD!
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/17/montana-climate-trial-helena?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1
