This week’s only good news

Between Trump’s criminal activities and his multiple indictments, the Maui fires and the rest of the world's problems, our deluge (of bad) daily news was somewhat enlightened by a Montana Judge siding with young activists in a first-of-its-kind climate change trial. 

The District Court Judge Kathy Seeley, found that the policy Montana uses in evaluating requests for fossil fuel permits is unconstitutional because it does not allow the state agencies to evaluate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. It marks the first time a US court has ruled against a government for violating a constitutional right based on climate change, said Harvard Law School Professor Richard Lazarus.

In pure Greta Thunberg’s juvenile spirit, the plaintiffs were between the ages of 5 to 22. Claire Vlases was 17 years old when she became a plaintiff in the case. Now 20 and working as a ski instructor, she said climate change hangs over every aspect of her life. 

The spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, decried the ruling as “absurd” and said the office planned to appeal. She criticized Seeley for allowing the plaintiffs to put on what Flower called a “taxpayer-funded publicity stunt.” To place the issue into context, we’re talking about a state, not a federal court, and the ruling is based on a state, and not the US Constitution, but it sounds like a major win for the climate plaintiffs. 

Only a few states, like Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York, have constitutions with similar environmental protections, so stay tuned for more similar actions. Should the ruling stay after the State Supreme Court’s appeal, it will be up to the Montana Legislature to determine how to bring the state’s policies into compliance. This promises to take time as Montana is a fossil fuel-friendly state where Republicans dominate the legislature and will surely drag their feet...