Officials from the Trump administration are trying to block the so-called ‘Climate Kids’ lawsuit from moving forward.
Entitled Juliana v. United States, the suit assumes that the United States and its government is responsible for man-made climate change. KOIN.com notes that, importantly, the plaintiffs aren’t arguing that fault stems from a failure to act—rather, the accusation is that Washington’s energy policies and systems directly resulted in global warming.
Eponymous plaintiff Kelsey Juliana told KOIN on Wednesday, “We’re just trying to make sure our constitutional rights are upheld by this body of government whose job it is to do so, and that we can safely say that we will have a secure, stable future to look forward to.”
Juliana and her cohorts have claimed the government’s climate policies could infringe upon their constitutional rights, including the pursuit of happiness.
The now-22-year old Juliana said the case and its outcome are important because it “is ensuring the security of my future and of all generations to come.”
“I hope that the defendants understand we’re done with their attempts to delay and dismiss this case,” she said. “They’re just frivolous tactics they’re putting on us because they know we’re in the right.
“That urgency of climate change has never been more serious than it is now, and that as young people we’re truly concerned about the ways climate change is impacting our lives right now and will continue throughout our lifetime.”
According to KOIN, Juliana says the government isn’t trying to argue against the existence of climate change. Neither are attorneys attempting to refute any of the scientific claims made by the ‘Climate Kids.’
“We really want to put forward this plan that they have the knowledge and they have the means to do so,” said Juliana, referring to curbing man-made climate change. She said that, by subsidizing the energy industry, “[the government] actually failed to look out for our constitutional rights of life, liberty and property.”
Since the suit’s inception, the federal government has made multiple attempts to see the case dismissed. However, Oregon-based Judge Ann Aiken’s shown a reluctance to discard the litigation entirely. KOIN says the Trump administration has taken to asking the Supreme Court for a resolution.
While environmental advocates had their fair share of grips with former President Barack Obama, his administration did take some steps to reduce the United States’ role in global climate change.
Since Donald Trump’s 2016 election, the federal government’s decidedly backtracked. Along with removing numerus EPA edicts restricting environmental pollution and industrial emissions, the current commander-in-chief also abandoned the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Sources
‘Climate kids’ lawsuit back in Eugene courtroom
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