Montana Youth Sue State for Its Role in Climate Change

16 youth climate activists have sued the state of Montana for its contribution to climate change.

This week, three years after the group first filed its lawsuit, the case went to court.

Montana is a fossil fuel loving state, and, like many states across the country, depends heavily upon it for industry growth.

Montana’s Assistant Attorney General Michael Russell argues that Montana’s contributions to global warming are insignificant when looking at the global picture.

“Montana’s emissions are simply too minuscule to make any difference,” Russell insisted. “Climate change is a global issue that effectively relegates Montana’s role to that of a spectator.”

The youth and their supporters are eager to see the case result in a legal precedent. They hope their fight will encourage other communities to take action and hold their local governments responsible as well.

What do y’all think? Could holding individual states responsible be a first step towards change?