The Preamble of the United States Constitution famously declares:
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
On Tuesday, lawyers for U.S. climate kids argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Oregon that the federal government was violating the Constitution by failing to protect future generations, posterity, from the impact of climate change. The group of 21 young people, some now in their twenties, have been pushing their case, Juliana v. United States, through the court system for four years.
The Trump administration was able to delay the hearing since October while it is trying to have the case dismissed because it claims there is “no fundamental constitutional right to a ‘stable climate system.’” Lawyers for the climate kids respond “These young people deserve that chance to present their full case against those who through their governance harm them, and let the light of justice fall where it may.” The climate kids are also demanding that the government halt new fossil fuel projects until their case is resolved.
Lawyers for the climate kids told the three-judge panel that immediate action is necessary to stop Trump administration anti-climate, anti-environment policies. President Trump is pulling the United States out of the Paris climate accord which is trying to limit greenhouse gas emissions, is eliminating environmental regulations, and is dismissing science evidence that demonstrates that global warming is caused by human actions.
In support of the climate kids, Mary Wood, the Philip H. Knight professor of law at the University of Oregon, accused the Trump administration of “aggressively accelerating toward the climate cliff through its frenzied fossil fuel policy, at a time when nations around the world are slamming on the breaks.”
If the judges are unsure of the legitimacy of the case, they just need to look at storms, floods, and tornadoes devastating parts of the United States. Because of heavy rain in the Plains states and the Mississippi Valley, the central and southern United States have record breaking floods. Entire communities in Arkansas along the Arkansas River may just be swept away when the river crests.
According to Michael Mann, a Penn State University climate researcher, "a warming atmosphere, with more moisture and turbulent energy, favors increasingly large outbreaks of tornadoes, like the outbreak we've witnessed in the last few days.” The U.S. now has many more days with multiple tornadoes and the tornadoes are emerging in areas that previously were not at high risk.
Major corporations are not as foolish as the Trump administration. One recent study including over 200 of the world’s biggest corporations reported that over the next few decades they faced $1 trillion in costs because of climate change. California’s largest electric utility, PG&E, filed for bankruptcy after its power lines sparked wildfires in forests dried out by global warming. A Japanese manufacturer, Hitachi Ltd., is concerned that increased rainfall and flooding in Southeast Asia could knock out its suppliers. A leading Brazilian bank fears that severe droughts would prevent borrowers from repaying loans. Alphabet, Inc., Google’s parent company, believes rising temperatures will add to the cost of cooling its energy-hungry data centers. Overall, $250 billion in corporate assets may be lost if there is not immediate and extreme action taken to reverse climate change.
If these companies want to survive, they need to support the U.S. climate kids in their suit against the federal government and help the United States VOTE OUT DONALD TRUMP.
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