{"id":2000907,"date":"2023-08-15T05:03:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T09:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/montana-judge-sides-with-youth-activists-in-landmark-climate-change-trial\/"},"modified":"2023-08-15T05:05:50","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T09:05:50","slug":"montana-judge-sides-with-youth-activists-in-landmark-climate-change-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/montana-judge-sides-with-youth-activists-in-landmark-climate-change-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana judge supports youth activists in groundbreaking climate trial."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmontana-judge-sides-with-youth-activists-in-landmark-climate-change-trial%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2000907&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Judge Rules in Favor of Young Activists in Landmark Climate Change Trial<\/h2>\n<p>In a groundbreaking\u2062 decision, a\u2063 judge in Montana has sided with 16 young activists in the nation&#8217;s\u200b first climate change trial. \u2063The judge ruled that state\u2062 agencies violated the\u200c plaintiffs&#8217; right to a clean environment, as guaranteed by the state&#8217;s Constitution, by promoting the use of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p>The trial,\u200c which lasted two weeks,\u2062 saw \u2063attorneys for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/montana-judge-sides-with-youth-activists-in-landmark-climate-change-trial\/\" title=\"Montana judge supports youth activists in groundbreaking climate trial.\">plaintiffs present compelling evidence linking elevated greenhouse gases<\/a> in the atmosphere to more frequent and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/infrastructure-tops-list-of-mayoral-concerns-report-says\/\" title=\"Report: Infrastructure is Mayoral Priority\">extreme weather\u200b events<\/a>. The young activists, ranging in age from 5 \u2064to 22, argued that these climate changes were negatively impacting their ability to lead clean and healthy lives in Montana.<\/p>\n<p>The plaintiffs highlighted \u2062the detrimental effects of climate change on their mental and physical \u200bhealth, including the choking smoke from wildfires\u2064 and\u200d the drying out of rivers that sustain agriculture, fish, wildlife, and recreation.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/climate-change-2979543\">Climate\u200c Change Narrative\u2063 Driven by Agenda \u2062of Political Control: Myron Ebell<\/a> (6\/26\/2019)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/california-climate-change-update-china-comparisons-evs-and-the-ccc-4006805\">California Climate Change Update: China\u200d Comparisons, EVs, and the CCC<\/a> (9\/20\/2021)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/china\/china-cuts-military-communications-and-climate-ties-with-us-4645683\">China Cuts Military Communications and Climate Ties\u2062 With US<\/a> (8\/5\/2022)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Native Americans who testified for the plaintiffs also emphasized how climate \u2062change was impacting their ceremonies and traditional food sources.<\/p>\n<p>District Court Judge Kathy Seeley, in her ruling, acknowledged the plaintiffs&#8217; legal standing and the &#8220;past and ongoing injuries&#8221; they\u200b have suffered due to\u2062 the state&#8217;s inaction on greenhouse gases and climate change. She emphasized that every additional ton of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">greenhouse gas emissions<\/a> exacerbates the \u2063plaintiffs&#8217;\u200d injuries and poses a risk of irreversible climate damage.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Seeley further stated that the injuries\u200b suffered by the young activists would worsen over time unless science-based measures are taken to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-debate-future-infrastructure-bills\/\" title=\"Lawmakers debate future infrastructure bills\">address climate change<\/a>. She affirmed that \u200dthe plaintiffs have proven their concrete\u2063 and distinguishable injuries, setting a new precedent for future\u200c climate change cases.<\/p>\n<p>The judge also declared the state&#8217;s policy for evaluating \u200cfossil \u2062fuel permits, which\u200c does not consider greenhouse gas emissions, as \u2063unconstitutional. Montana&#8217;s significant per capita emissions and historical contribution to greenhouse gas emissions were highlighted as well.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Hundreds of climate protesters walk from \u2062Times Square to New York Governor Kathy Hochul\u2019s office to demand more action against climate change on Nov. 13, 2021 in \u200dNew York City. The protesters, representing a cross section of environmental groups, are demanding \u2062that New York State \u200cdo\u200b more to pass legislation that will hold major \u2062companies with a history \u2063of polluting accountable. (Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Efforts by \u2062Montana&#8217;s governor, attorney \u2062general, and Republican supermajorities to\u200b prevent the lawsuit from going to court were unsuccessful. The state&#8217;s reliance on the production of oil, gas, and coal posed challenges to the case.<\/p>\n<p>Julia Olson, executive director of advocacy group Our Children&#8217;s Trust, hailed the Montana ruling as a &#8220;game-changer&#8221; in\u200d climate change legislation.\u200d She emphasized that this is \u2063the \u2063first time a court has ruled on the merits of a case, affirming that the government violated \u2062children&#8217;s rights by promoting fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p>Kian Tanner, one of the plaintiffs, expressed his satisfaction\u200b with \u200dthe ruling, stating that it demonstrates that the voices of the youth are being heard. He\u200b believes that this decision sets a precedent not only for \u2063the \u200bUnited States \u200dbut \u2063for the world.<\/p>\n<p>The young activists \u200bdid not seek monetary compensation through their lawsuit. However, it\u200b is now up \u2063to the \u200dMontana Legislature to determine how to bring the state&#8217;s \u2064policies into compliance. The state has 60 days to \u200bdecide whether to appeal the decision to the Montana Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>Only a \u200dfew states, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York, have\u200b taken significant steps to address \u2062climate change. The\u200c Montana ruling serves as a powerful reminder of \u2062the \u2063urgent need for action to protect our environment and future generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Montana judge ruled in favor of 16 young activists in the country&#8217;s inaugural climate change trial. The judge stated that state agencies violated the plaintiffs&#8217; right to a clean environment, as guaranteed by the state&#8217;s Constitution, by endorsing fossil fuel usage. The plaintiffs, aged 5 to 22, provided compelling evidence during the trial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":2000908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2000907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}