Peter Walks for Democracy

Our youth are taking the reins and demanding action on climate change. A group of 21 children and young adults have filed Juliana et al v. United States to force the Trump administration to take on climate change.

Inside Climate News reports

[Juliana] seeks sweeping changes in federal climate change efforts and in government programs that subsidize or foster the development of fossil fuels. A trial would mean that decades of federal policy on fossil fuels and climate change—including information that had previously been unknown or hidden—could come to light through discovery and be subject to public scrutiny even before the court renders a decision. The suit was brought by Our Children’s Trust, an environmental advocacy group.”

Before you do anything else, donate to Our Children’s Trust.

Consider some ramifications. Even if Juliana doesn’t make its way the whole way up to the Supreme Court, it’s part of something bigger. If it fails, others are going to try. Across the U.S. and the world, they already are. Some of these are going to work and one of them will eventually tip the scales. Combined with the policy and market forces at work against fossil fuels and for renewable energy, the momentum is tremendous.

“Once revealed, never concealed.” Juliana is going to show how much money is at stake and how greedy people have been.  “The Department of Justice contended in its petition that proceeding with the case would launch a discovery process that would be onerous to the federal government.” That means they are trying to hide everything. For many of us, this process will be one big “I told you so” about how much the government has been the government of, by, and for the carbon combustion complex. We already have the #ExxonKnew materials that have shown the emperors of poisoned air have been covering up their own knowledge of their risky business. It’ll surely reveal how successful the fossil fuel magnates have captured the apparatus of the government for themselves. It will also show how well their merchants of doubt have occupied the minds and imaginations of officials, regulators, the media, and public’s mind. When the wizard behind the curtain is revealed, it’ll be Big Tobacco all over again.

And if the case goes up to higher courts? The EPA was forced to act because carbon dioxide presents a clear threat under the Clean Air Act, section 111 that can help this case. But it also brings novel constitutional arguments. Those will be fascinating to see play out.

At this point, it’s all about who has standing and recognition and what court is willing to open the procedures so that we face the real risks…and the opportunities to draw down. Our youth are demanding it. They’ll get it one way or another.