Fifteen young climate activists ranging from ages 8 to 17 have filed a lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin, arguing that the state's pro-fossil fuel policies endanger their health, homes, and futures, according to The Guardian.
The case, brought in August, builds on recent local climate action by youth-led groups challenging state laws in court.
The youth plaintiffs, represented by nonprofit law firms Our Children's Trust and Midwest Environmental Advocates, are targeting two state laws that they say lock in fossil fuel use.
One law being targeted prevents regulators from considering pollution when approving power plants, and the other prevents the state from requiring utilities to expand renewable energy. Wisconsin still relies on fossil fuels for about 75% of its electricity, though the state previously pledged to make the electrical grid carbon-free by 2050.
"The state legislature and the executive branch have both set goals and mandates to decarbonize the electricity sector," said Nate Bellinger, the supervising staff attorney at Our Children's Trust. "These laws are getting in the way of that."
The lead plaintiff of the lawsuit is 17-year-old Kaarina, who grew up in Vernon County along the Mississippi River. In 2023, a boulder caused damage near her home during a freeze-thaw cycle (linked to warming temperatures).
"I had to move away from the childhood I planned to live in my entire life," she told The Guardian.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
Wisconsin's constitution guarantees rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, all of which the lawsuit argues are compromised by worsening floods, heat waves, wildfires, and pollution.
For Kaarina, those impacts are already personal; she said extreme weather has forced her to quit coaching tennis and has given her less time to garden with her grandparents due to extreme heat.
Youth climate lawsuits have been gaining momentum. In 2023, a Montana judge ruled that state policies promoting fossil fuels violated the rights of young residents to a clean and healthy environment, the first case of its kind in the U.S. Notably, Our Children's Trust also represented the youth plaintiffs in that case.
|
Do you worry about the quality of the air inside your home?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Yes — often 😬 If successful, the plaintiffs' case in Wisconsin could ensure safer communities and healthier air for millions of residents and future generations across the Midwest.
TCD Picks » Stasher Spotlight
💡Stasher's reusable food storage options make it easy and affordable to live life with less plastic
"Our clients are asking the court to uphold their right to a livable future," Tony Wilkin Gibart, the executive director of Midwest Environmental Advocates, said in a statement. "This case is about whether they will inherit a future shaped by clean energy and a stable climate — or one burdened by fossil fuel pollution, extreme weather events, and growing threats to their health and safety."
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
