SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
"We children, your children, will have to live in the world adults create for us now." (Photo: Joe Brusky/flickr/cc)
I didn't travel anywhere for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, yet I am counting my blessings because, together with other petitioners under age 18, I was back in King County Superior Court Tuesday at a contempt hearing against the Washington State Department of Ecology. This was our fourth and maybe final chance make Ecology act to protect our constitutional rights by limiting State carbon emissions in line with current and best climate science.
I didn't travel anywhere for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, yet I am counting my blessings because, together with other petitioners under age 18, I was back in King County Superior Court Tuesday at a contempt hearing against the Washington State Department of Ecology. This was our fourth and maybe final chance make Ecology act to protect our constitutional rights by limiting State carbon emissions in line with current and best climate science.
One thing we can't give thanks for is the ever-worsening climate crisis, and that's why we need our governments to step up and act to save our future. Even though our Department of Ecology has both the responsibility and the authority to act, the agency's own reports admit that current standards--a decade old--are inadequate. For example, they don't even address transportation pollution, which accounts for nearly half of the state's greenhouse gas emissions.
It has been over two years since we young people first asked Ecology to act on its own rhetoric and do its job by setting standards that fulfill our share to cut global emissions by the 8-10% per year that get us back to safe levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. Instead they put out a Clean Air rule that asks a couple dozen big polluters to cut annual emissions by just 1.7%--this doesn't even comply with the old standards and many of these polluters won't even have to start making cuts for years.
Thankfully, we are able to demand that they do more. I am grateful for our amazing attorney from the Western Environmental Law Center, Our Children's Trust, and for our judge who set an amazing precedent, ruling that based on public trust doctrine in the State Constitution, we all have the right to a healthful and pleasant environment, including a stable climate. Ecology must use its existing authority to regulate CO2 emissions to "preserve, protect and enhance the air quality for the current and future generations."
By taking weak and ineffectual action, I'd say Washington State is content to be contemptuous of all our rights. They need to do more to save our future. Ecology needs to make a real plan and commit to carry it out. Up to now, we youth have certainly been learning how politics works, as the Governor talks about how the State is stepping up on climate change with this 'business as usual' Clean Air Rule. We're certainly learning how big business works, as they threaten and file lawsuits for being asked to cut next to nothing.
That's why we headed back to court with the hope that our state will finally become a leader and take meaningful steps that get us all to a livable future. The judge will make her decision soon. I'm thankful that she is helping figure out how to protect our future. She understands that this is not a situation that can be put off a few more decades or even a few more years. This year was the hottest on record. The Artic ice is rapidly melting as never before. It is time to step beyond politics as usual and business as usual to safeguard future generations.
We children, your children, will have to live in the world adults create for us now. Just as we give thanks that we can act today on behalf of children everywhere, we want to be thankful that you took action too. Call Governor Inslee and ask him to do more to cut carbon pollution, and ask him this simple question: How do you want to be remembered?
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
I didn't travel anywhere for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, yet I am counting my blessings because, together with other petitioners under age 18, I was back in King County Superior Court Tuesday at a contempt hearing against the Washington State Department of Ecology. This was our fourth and maybe final chance make Ecology act to protect our constitutional rights by limiting State carbon emissions in line with current and best climate science.
One thing we can't give thanks for is the ever-worsening climate crisis, and that's why we need our governments to step up and act to save our future. Even though our Department of Ecology has both the responsibility and the authority to act, the agency's own reports admit that current standards--a decade old--are inadequate. For example, they don't even address transportation pollution, which accounts for nearly half of the state's greenhouse gas emissions.
It has been over two years since we young people first asked Ecology to act on its own rhetoric and do its job by setting standards that fulfill our share to cut global emissions by the 8-10% per year that get us back to safe levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. Instead they put out a Clean Air rule that asks a couple dozen big polluters to cut annual emissions by just 1.7%--this doesn't even comply with the old standards and many of these polluters won't even have to start making cuts for years.
Thankfully, we are able to demand that they do more. I am grateful for our amazing attorney from the Western Environmental Law Center, Our Children's Trust, and for our judge who set an amazing precedent, ruling that based on public trust doctrine in the State Constitution, we all have the right to a healthful and pleasant environment, including a stable climate. Ecology must use its existing authority to regulate CO2 emissions to "preserve, protect and enhance the air quality for the current and future generations."
By taking weak and ineffectual action, I'd say Washington State is content to be contemptuous of all our rights. They need to do more to save our future. Ecology needs to make a real plan and commit to carry it out. Up to now, we youth have certainly been learning how politics works, as the Governor talks about how the State is stepping up on climate change with this 'business as usual' Clean Air Rule. We're certainly learning how big business works, as they threaten and file lawsuits for being asked to cut next to nothing.
That's why we headed back to court with the hope that our state will finally become a leader and take meaningful steps that get us all to a livable future. The judge will make her decision soon. I'm thankful that she is helping figure out how to protect our future. She understands that this is not a situation that can be put off a few more decades or even a few more years. This year was the hottest on record. The Artic ice is rapidly melting as never before. It is time to step beyond politics as usual and business as usual to safeguard future generations.
We children, your children, will have to live in the world adults create for us now. Just as we give thanks that we can act today on behalf of children everywhere, we want to be thankful that you took action too. Call Governor Inslee and ask him to do more to cut carbon pollution, and ask him this simple question: How do you want to be remembered?
I didn't travel anywhere for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, yet I am counting my blessings because, together with other petitioners under age 18, I was back in King County Superior Court Tuesday at a contempt hearing against the Washington State Department of Ecology. This was our fourth and maybe final chance make Ecology act to protect our constitutional rights by limiting State carbon emissions in line with current and best climate science.
One thing we can't give thanks for is the ever-worsening climate crisis, and that's why we need our governments to step up and act to save our future. Even though our Department of Ecology has both the responsibility and the authority to act, the agency's own reports admit that current standards--a decade old--are inadequate. For example, they don't even address transportation pollution, which accounts for nearly half of the state's greenhouse gas emissions.
It has been over two years since we young people first asked Ecology to act on its own rhetoric and do its job by setting standards that fulfill our share to cut global emissions by the 8-10% per year that get us back to safe levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. Instead they put out a Clean Air rule that asks a couple dozen big polluters to cut annual emissions by just 1.7%--this doesn't even comply with the old standards and many of these polluters won't even have to start making cuts for years.
Thankfully, we are able to demand that they do more. I am grateful for our amazing attorney from the Western Environmental Law Center, Our Children's Trust, and for our judge who set an amazing precedent, ruling that based on public trust doctrine in the State Constitution, we all have the right to a healthful and pleasant environment, including a stable climate. Ecology must use its existing authority to regulate CO2 emissions to "preserve, protect and enhance the air quality for the current and future generations."
By taking weak and ineffectual action, I'd say Washington State is content to be contemptuous of all our rights. They need to do more to save our future. Ecology needs to make a real plan and commit to carry it out. Up to now, we youth have certainly been learning how politics works, as the Governor talks about how the State is stepping up on climate change with this 'business as usual' Clean Air Rule. We're certainly learning how big business works, as they threaten and file lawsuits for being asked to cut next to nothing.
That's why we headed back to court with the hope that our state will finally become a leader and take meaningful steps that get us all to a livable future. The judge will make her decision soon. I'm thankful that she is helping figure out how to protect our future. She understands that this is not a situation that can be put off a few more decades or even a few more years. This year was the hottest on record. The Artic ice is rapidly melting as never before. It is time to step beyond politics as usual and business as usual to safeguard future generations.
We children, your children, will have to live in the world adults create for us now. Just as we give thanks that we can act today on behalf of children everywhere, we want to be thankful that you took action too. Call Governor Inslee and ask him to do more to cut carbon pollution, and ask him this simple question: How do you want to be remembered?