Proudly Standing in Solidarity With Youth in Historic Climate Court Case

Today I am in Helena to stand in solidarity with the youth plaintiffs of Held v. Montana as they work with their legal team to make the case that the state has violated their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. I’m an environmental attorney, but this time, I’m headed to court in a different capacity — as a mom.

None of the plaintiffs in Held v. Montana are my biological children, but they feel like my kids. I’ve known one of the plaintiffs since she was 5 years old, and now she’s borrowing my clothes for depositions. I’ve watched these kids grow up and shared their fear and heartbreak as they’ve seen floods and wildfires wreak havoc on their communities and the beautiful state we call home. But I’ve also been deeply inspired by the way these youth plaintiffs and their peers are turning their lived experience into meaningful action.

Back in January, I traveled to Helena with two students from the Park High Green Initiative for the climate advocacy day at the Capitol. They jumped at a last-minute opportunity to speak, despite the fact that they had tests to study for, and that one of them was celebrating their 16th birthday. They wrote their speeches in the car and delivered them a couple of hours later, pleading with Montana’s leaders to take action on climate. The newly 16-year-old asked: “How many more birthdays will I have where the air is breathable?”

While many of their peers are preparing for school dances and soccer games, they’re preparing to go to court.

I don’t remember what I was doing on my birthday at age 16, but it wasn’t that. Then again, I didn’t turn 16 in a world when 500-year weather events seemed to make headlines a couple times per year. Today’s youth are taking on a lot, but that’s because there’s a lot to take on.

For decades, youth have stepped up to lead in areas where adults have failed to lead. Leaders like Xiuhtezcatl Martinez of Earth Guardians and Greta Thunburg have been outspoken activists from an early age. The Held v. Montana plaintiffs aren’t the first youth to sue their state–they are represented by Our Children’s Trust, a non-profit law firm that has sued state governments on behalf of youth in all 50 states–but this suit does stand apart as the first of their cases to go to trial.

Watching these youth march boldly up the ivory tower of our judicial system, it’s easy to forget that they started this process as kids, tweens, and teens. While many of their peers are preparing for school dances and soccer games, they’re preparing to go to court. They’re sitting in conference rooms, surrounded by attorneys, aware that this process is likely to last years, if not decades. They aren’t doing it for fun, or for media attention, or to fill in a college resume. They’re doing this because they see this as the fight of (and for) their lifetime and they don’t want to be haunted by the question: “How many more birthdays will I have until the air is unbreathable?”

It isn’t fair that they should have to shoulder this burden that they inherited by no fault of their own.

As a mother, I feel an uncomfortable mix of pride, anger, and fear as I support these youth through the legal process. It isn’t fair that they should have to shoulder this burden that they inherited by no fault of their own. My maternal instinct tells me to protect these kids and shelter them from the grueling legal process. But, every time I talk with them, I’m reminded how unfair it would be to stand in their way of speaking truth to power. These kids don’t want to idly wait for the adults in their lives to take action. It’s our job as parents to put opportunities in front of our kids and give them the balance of space and support they need to make their own decisions.

As I prepare to lend my full support to these youth, I’m calling on parents across the nation to summon their support for the courageous youth in their community confronting the climate crisis. The Held v Montana trial is a not-to-miss historic first. It’s why I’ll be there along with a large cheering section of family, friends, students from our Park High Green Initiative and other supporters. When you hear about the crowds gathered on the courthouse steps to cheer on the plaintiffs, you’ll know why.

This op-ed originally appeared in the Billings Gazette.