There’s no real debating it — the youth population of the world stands to bare the brunt of climate change. But there’s still time to halt or at least slow down the trajectory that our planet's on, and that's why Xiuhtezcatl Tonatiuh, 15, and a group of 20 other young people are suing President Obama and the U.S. government in order to push their hand to take action before it's too late.
Back in August, Xiuhtezcatl and world-renowned climate scientist Dr. James E. Hansen joined forces in their suit against the federal government where they claim the Obama administration hasn't done nearly enough to ensure that future generations aren’t left with the environment's gigantic past-due gas bill (i.e. overuse of fossil fuels). The lawsuit argues that a lack of climate action has endangered the rights of the country’s youngest generations to life, liberty, and property. Words you probably recognize from your latest history class as they're part of our country's Declaration of Independence, and some of America's most basic principles.
"You're failing, you know. F-minus," Xiuhtezcatl told CNN at the United Nation's climate change conference in Paris in regards to the nation's half-hearted attempts at thwarting the damage. "We're holding you accountable for your lack of action."
The lawsuit is sponsored by Our Children’s Trust, a nonprofit devoted to establishing citizens' legal rights to a stable climate and atmosphere, and its executive director, Julia Olson, tells Teen Vogue, "Our goal is to elevate the voices of those who have the most to lose if governments don’t take immediate action against climate change. Many of the world’s great policy advancements have been lead by youth in the past, and we want to empower the next generation to defend their constitutional rights.”
The current lawsuit is in the Oregon Federal Courts right now, as it was initially filed to prevent Canadian natural gas company Jordon Cove LNG from building a large pipeline for their product in Oregon’s Coos Bay. It's exactly this type of environmental oversight — exploitation of oil resources for short-term economic payoff — that is driving the plaintiffs in their fight to save the world.
From the get go the fossil fuel industry hasn’t been happy with the lawsuit, and on November 12 most of its largest companies filed a plea with Oregon’s District Courts requesting to join the case to protect their financial interests.
The list of demands from the suit range from reducing the amount of carbon particles in the world to better basic protections for the environment and a real plan to help the earth recover from the damage it's already experienced. These things might seem grand for a bunch of teens to take on, but 10-year-old Avery McRae, another plaintiff in the case, is proof that young people can make real things happen.
The fifth-grader says the plea from industry bigwigs to join the case is a good sign because it indicates that they're taking their lawsuit seriously.
“The attention is exciting because it means going forward we’ll have more media, and that some part of these companies know we can win,” Avery tells Teen Vogue.
A big part of the testimonies in the trial will come from the firsthand accounts of youth plaintiffs, who will explain how climate change has impacted their lives. Avery, who will likely be among those to share her story, was first inspired to defend the environment after a trip to a local creek where they came across spawning salmon.
“They were at the end of their life but knew they had generations to come after them. I lay down on a small island in the middle of the water and watched them eye-to-eye — it was incredibly beautiful,” says Avery. “When my parents told me salmon were becoming endangered because of warming water temperatures, I was extremely sad and wanted to do something.”
As with any legal proceeding, it will take quite some time before a decision is reached, explains Olson, but the trust has already had small victories that could lay the groundwork for a larger win. On top of the charity's work in the U.S., they’ve now branched out to a handful of international outposts like Canada, Australia, Pakistan and India to begin building momentum worldwide.
As Xiuhtezcatl told CNN, "We are in this because of the way it affects the state of the planet we want to be left with. That is the most noble cause I'd say: Leaving our children a better planet than the one we are living in today. We are doing our part. We need political leaders to step up and do theirs."
Check out Teen Vogue’s December/January issue cover star, Fernanda Ly.