On November 2, the Supreme Court has denied the Trump administration’s request to dismiss Juliana vs. United States, a lawsuit by children and young adults against the government to combat climate change. This was after several attempts by the Trump administration to dismiss the case which had been filed beginning in 2015 in the District of Oregon. The plaintiff is composed of youth ages 11 to 22 who believe that the government should be making attempts to combat climate change because of our constitutional right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness, which is being negatively impacted by climate change. The case is asking for the government to propose a plan to ensure that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will be below 350 parts per million by the year 2100 as well as reduce its fossil fuel extraction and production.
I think the age of the plaintiffs have caused the Trump administration to greatly underestimate the lawsuit and the lack of acknowledgement of climate change is absurd.
How do you feel about the role of youth and young adults in our government? Do you think our voices are underrepresented or unheard?
Do you believe that the government has a responsibility to combat climate change to uphold our rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-refuses-to-block-kids-climate-lawsuit-against-us-government/2018/11/02/34bd7ee6-d7af-11e8-83a2-d1c3da28d6b6_story.html?utm_term=.8b8a8780e78a
I think the government should take the young voices into account, because they will be the future generations making changes. However, it is true that these voices can be easily influenced as the are still young, but climate change is definitely something we should start paying attention to. The government is in charge of the climate, because just like what Teddy Roosevelt created for our national parks, we need a better system for our climate. The amount of money we make in our industry will be useless if we destroy the place to spend it on.
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DeleteI think that the role of youth and young adults are very important in the government because what the current government decides on now will dictate their lives. It is also more common and logical for the current youth to want to make changes that will benefit the future because that is when they will be living. The government has the responsibility because the United States is a place that is known for people to have their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If the environment is not stable enough for people to even live in the country, how would that be possible?
ReplyDeleteI think that one reason the Trump administration looked down on the lawsuit is because the idea probably came from much older adults, not the children and young adults themselves. However, the point made remains just as strong: climate change is real and will have dire consequences within our life times. Ignoring the ticking clock is not only irresponsible but also a disservice to the country’s future inhabitants. While less experienced, their voices remain equally important and should be taken seriously.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that youth and young adults are getting involved, especially on such an important issue. I think that the government has a responsibility to combat climate change to uphold life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because these are all considered core values of America which are all put in jeopardy by the increasing effects of climate change. I also think that the US government has a responsibility to combat climate change because they have the power to put environmental regulations on the huge corporations that are the main contributors to climate change. I believe that this systematic change is necessary if the US is going to be serious about decreasing our negative impact on the environment.
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