Good on them, hope more cases follow this precedent. We all inhabit the same planet and should have a vested interest in keeping it liveable.
Youth plaintiffs did not ask for any damages beyond their attorneys' fees and costs, which were awarded by the court. To young people suing, winning is seemingly just about pushing the state to embrace climate science and mitigate known harms moving forward.
It might be overturned by the Supreme Court of Montana, but as a state ruling its totally outside the federal legal system.
It's worth noting this underappreciated feature in an overall very flawed system. A similar example: no matter what happens no president can pardon Trump for racketeering charges he faces in Georgia.
came here to say the same thing and ask others to postulate what their plan is; but then i remembered that this isn't the first time the young tried to push for something and did nothing.
The state’s characterization of the court proceeding as a “MEPA trial” and not a climate trial ignored the fact that the MEPA provision at issue was squarely about climate change. By prohibiting the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change in environmental reviews, Seeley ruled that provision is at odds with Montana’s constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. At issue here is not how MEPA works, but how the state’s dismissive treatment of climate change endangers the youth plaintiffs and degrades Montana’s environment.
That's kind of a bare minimum start. It'll take a whole lot more to get to where we need to be.