This is big. A Montana state court has decided in favor of young people who alleged that the state violated their right to a clean and healthy environment by promoting the use of fossil fuels. The plaintiffs were represented by the Eugene-based nonprofit Our Children’s Trust. Adults should be ashamed that it takes children to stand up and do the right thing for Mother Earth.

If kids don’t have standing in climate cases, who does? They are the ones who will live in the world of climate chaos we have bequeathed to them. Montana’s government lawyers will appeal this decision and the fossil fuel fossils will fuel Montana’s politicians with outrageous sums of money to write legislation around it, so the fight will be long and hard — perhaps too long and hard for our planet to make it in the end. But for this moment, victory!

Benton Elliott
Eugene

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