TEENS SUE U.S. FOR NOT STOPPING CLIMATE CHANGE

Teens challenge US government for not protecting them from climate change; If allowed to go forward, plaintiffs in Oregon will ask court to hold government responsible for violating their rights to life, liberty, property and equal protection

Matthew O Berger, 9 March 2016 (The Guardian)

“Twenty-one teenagers appeared in an Oregon courtroom to challenge the federal government over what they claim is a failure to protect them from the impacts of climate change, while several hundred schoolchildren protested outside…Judge Thomas Coffin of the US district court in Eugene, Oregon, questioned the lawyers on the government’s claim that the case should be thrown out…At issue is whether the 21 teenagers, the oldest of which is 19, have standing in the case – including whether they have or will suffer specific injuries that can be reasonably traced to government actions affecting climate change and whether the court is able to remedy those injuries…Coffin did not issue an immediate ruling…[so] Juliana et al v United States et al, will be allowed to go forward, though [environmental group Our Children’s Trust, the plaintiffs] said they expected a decision to take one to two months…” click here for more

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