Page 17 - Julia Olson News Today

A Montana judge sided with young environmental activists who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment

Young environmental activists sued the US state for allowing fossil fuel development which they argue harms their physical and mental health. The trial is believed to be the first of its kind in the US.

In a landmark climate trial, a Montana court on Monday ruled in favor of a group of youths who accused the western US state of violating their rights to a clean environment."By prohibiting analysis of GHG0 (greenhouse gas) emissions and corresponding impacts to the climate... the MEPA (Montana Environmental Policy Act) Limitation violates Youth Plaintiffs' right to a clean and healthful environment and is unconstitutional on its face," Seeley wrote.

Emotional testimony leads to plaintiffs' win in first youth-led climate trial.

The youths said they had been harmed by the “dangerous impacts of fossil fuels and the climate crisis”.

In a first-of-its-kind trial, US youth accuse Montana of violating their rights through lax environmental policies.

Montana ruling adds to a handful of global legal decisions that established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change. State AG plans to appeal.

A Montana judge has sided with young environmental activists who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean environment by...

A Montana judge has sided with young environmental activists who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean environment by...

The ruling follows a first-of-its-kind trial in the U.S., adding to a small number of legal decisions around the world that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change.