Climate Litigation: US Youth Sue The Government For Climate Inaction

There is lots of climate-related legal action occurring in the US these days. A few weeks ago, for example, we blogged about the Clean Power Plan, Obama's plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the US. Several lawsuits have already been filed (and at least one has already been dismissed as premature) in an attempt to see the plan quashed. Meanwhile, a group of young people have now sued the federal government for not responding adequately enough to climate change.

Last month, twenty-one young people (aged 8 to 19) filed a lawsuit against the US federal government (including the President and several federal agencies). Outspoken climate researcher James Hansen is named as guardian for "future generations," which are also listed as plaintiffs.