By Lead plaintiff Rikki Held, 22, arrives for the nation’s first youth climate change trial at Montana’s First Judicial District Court on June 12th, 2023, in Helena, Montana. | Photo by William Campbell / Getty Images
A group of young people who sued the state of Montana for violating their right to a clean environment can claim a big victory today.
A state court ruled in their favor, finding that the plaintiffs “have experienced past and ongoing injuries resulting from the State’s failure to consider [greenhouse gases] and climate change, including injuries to their physical and mental health, homes and property, recreational, spiritual, and aesthetic interests, tribal and cultural traditions, economic security, and happiness.”
Montana’s constitution includes rights to a “clean and healthful environment”…