Opinion: Youth v. Montana — Young adults speak up

Opinion: Youth v. Montana — Young adults speak up

We are entitled to a ‘clean and healthful’ environment. Montana’s policies are endangering that.

HELENA, Mont. – We stand at the forefront of a consequential lawsuit, driven not only by a commitment to the environment but also by a love for the people and places that make Montana home. We are plaintiffs in Held vs Montana, the first ever constitutional climate case to go to trial.


Despite our state constitution promising the right to “a clean and healthful environment,” our legislators have continued to prioritize fossil fuel industries, which has caused direct harm to our livelihoods – and pose a grave threat to our future.

We are moved to stand up for our rights by a sense of responsibility toward our environment, our communities and our futures. We believe that young people are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. Montana's path and policies are cause for great concern. Through this lawsuit, we aim to set a new direction for our state, and others.

As young people, we’ve lived our whole lives with the devastating consequences of climate change and environmental degradation – and they are getting worse.

Some of you remember summers without smoke. We don’t. Those smoke-filled summers curtail our ability to train for sports and get outdoors. Droughts have canceled family float trips. A more variable snowpack impairs our abilities to work as ski instructors or perform well in competitive skiing.

Montana climate change

Author Claire Vlases skiing in Montana.

Montana skiing

Author Georgianna Fischer skiing in Montana.

Protect and preserve our climate

Like the June hailstorms that increasingly ravage Montana’s crops and property, the Legislature's path and policies give us reason to fear. These policies revolve around the promotion of fossil fuel industries that contribute to carbon emissions and exacerbate the climate crisis.

Just this year the Legislature prohibited the state from considering carbon emissions or climate change when considering the impact of new coal mines and power plants.

Each decision made without environmental considerations betrays the landscapes we hold dear and the generations to come. The state’s continued reliance on fossil fuels not only perpetuates climate change but also threatens the resources that have long defined our state's spirit.

Our lawsuit, Held v. Montana, represents a crucial battle for our environment, our constitutional rights and the well-being of our communities. We envision a Montana that breaks loose from outdated practices, a place where our constitutional duty to protect and preserve our natural resources takes precedence.

By holding our state accountable for its unconstitutional promotion of fossil fuel industries, we shape a more sustainable future. We can forge a path towards a prosperous, equitable and resilient state for generations to come.

Montana can lead on climate change

Montana youth climate change lawsuit

"A more variable snowpack impairs our abilities to work as ski instructors or perform well in competitive skiing."

“We’re seeing harm now and accelerating harm in the future,” testified Steve Running, Nobel Laureate and University of Montana Emeritus Regents Professor, at the opening of our trial. “We really have to change the trajectory…. We should have done it decades ago. The next-best thing is right now.”

We are working to make that happen.

We aspire to see a Montana that leads by example, inspiring other states to adopt environmentally conscious policies rooted in constitutional accountability.

Montana should not just be a witness to change, but a catalyst for it. We urge the state to listen to its citizens, especially the youth who will bear the brunt of the climate crisis. As we embark on this legal battle, we carry with us our stories – stories of lives touched by the consequences of unsustainable practices.

We invite you to join us in this pursuit, to raise our voices and demand that Montana – and all states – honor this sacred obligation to our youth and our future. We must rewrite the narrative. We must protect the wild spaces. We must be the stewards future generations deserve.

​Editor's note: Georgianna Fischer is the daughter of Douglas Fischer, executive director of Environmental Health Sciences, which publishes Environmental Health News and The Daily Climate.

Another chemical recycling plant closure offers ‘flashing red light’ to nascent industry

Fulcrum BioFuels’ shuttered “sustainable aviation fuel” plant is the latest facility to run into technical and financial challenges.

For the second time this year, a chemical recycling plant built to turn waste into usable products has closed, casting further doubt on the viability of an upstart industry that has been plagued by financial and technical challenges in its effort to scale up.

Keep reading...Show less
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
Amid LNG’s Gulf Coast expansion, community hopes to stand in its way
Coast Guard inspects Cameron LNG Facility in preparation for first LNG export in 2019. (Credit: Coast Guard News)

Amid LNG’s Gulf Coast expansion, community hopes to stand in its way

This 2-part series was co-produced by Environmental Health News and the journalism non-profit Economic Hardship Reporting Project. See part 1 here.Este ensayo también está disponible en español
Keep reading...Show less
epa scientific integrity
Credit: Chesapeake Bay Program/Flickr

Hours before first presidential debate, EPA head addresses past setbacks and future challenges

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan aims to reassure employees about the agency's future and rebuke past efforts to undermine climate science.

Maxine Joselow reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
Trump falsely claims Biden's climate policies will weaken the military
Credit: Pixabay

Trump falsely claims Biden's climate policies will weaken the military

Donald Trump claims that President Biden's climate policies, including electric tanks and sustainable fuel jets, will weaken U.S. military power, despite the Pentagon's plans to address climate change without compromising military effectiveness.

Scott Waldman reports for POLITICO.

Keep reading...Show less

Scientists warn of major ice sheet loss due to small temperature rise

A minor increase in ocean temperature could drastically accelerate ice sheet melting and raise sea levels much more than current models predict.

Damian Carrington reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less

Glauconite disrupts offshore wind plans

A green mineral called glauconite is causing problems for President Biden's offshore wind initiatives by complicating the installation of wind turbines.

Heather Richards reports for E&E News.

Keep reading...Show less
fungi's role in carbon capture
Credit: Unpossible/Flickr

Research highlights fungi's key role in carbon capture

The underground networks of plant roots and fungi are proving to be essential in sequestering carbon in the soil, according to recent studies.

Matt Reynolds reports for Wired.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
nurses climate change

Op-ed: In a warming world, nurses heal people and the planet

Nurses have the experience, motivation and public support to make an important contribution in tackling the climate crises.

planetary health diet

This diet will likely keep you alive longer — and help the planet

New research finds the Planetary Health Diet lowers our risk to most major causes of death.

environmental justice

LISTEN: Jose Ramon Becerra Vera on democratizing science

“In their own way, they’re becoming experts, not just of their experiences but also of the data collection process.”

The oil and gas industry’s radioactive problem: Q&A with Justin Nobel

The oil and gas industry’s radioactive problem: Q&A with Justin Nobel

“Of all the levels of radium in produced water or brine around the world that I’ve looked at, I have encountered none that are consistently as high as what comes out of the Marcellus Shale.”

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.