Teenage Activists Sue Montana Over Climate Inaction

Attorneys for 16 young plaintiffs argue that Montana violated their right to a clean environment by allowing fossil fuel projects without considering climate change impacts.
The plaintiffs want a judge to strike down a Montana law prohibiting agencies from considering environmental effects of greenhouse gas emissions when permitting projects.
State officials argue that climate change is too big an issue for Montana to address alone and that the legislature had the right to pass the law limiting reviews of greenhouse gas emissions.
A ruling against the state could establish a legal duty for governments to protect citizens from climate change and build on a small number of similar court decisions.
The plaintiffs are represented by Our Children's Trust, an Oregon environmental group that has filed similar suits in all 50 states since 2011 and raised over $20 million.