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The pro-environmental ruling was made possible largely because of a bit of unique wording in Montana’s state constitution.

Apparently, planet-warming fossil fuels take priority over Montanans’ constitutionally protected right to a “clean and healthful environment.”

A Montana judge handed a significant victory on Monday to more than a dozen young plaintiffs in the nation’s first constitutional climate trial, as extreme weather becomes more deadly and scientists warn the climate crisis is eroding our environment and natural resources.

In a first-of-its-kind trial, the young environmental activists said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment.

The ruling adds to a small number of legal decisions around the world that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change