For the young plaintiffs in a landmark environmental case, victory was “a great first step”
BY NINIS TWUMASI
In 2020, 16 plaintiffs, ages 5 to 22, took the state of Montana to court for, they said, violating their right to a clean environment, which is enshrined in the state’s constitution. This year, after a protracted court fight, they won: on Aug. 14, in a decision that the state attorney general has appealed, a judge ruled that Montana must consider the effects of climate change when deciding whether to begin or renew fossil-fuel projects. Held v. State of is a first of-its-kind case, but—given a rising generation of young activists who know the power of speaking their minds—it is unlikely to be the last.
