I hate to be a wet blanket, but I really question the wisdom of an action like this for a few reasons.
1) Obama just rolled out the Clean Power Plan and we're 4 months away from COP21 in Paris. Is this issue likely to be resolved in the court system prior to the US making new climate change commitments? 2) This plays right into the hands of conservatives who think liberals use children as political pawns in an attempt to further their agenda. Thus, this will move is unlikely to curry favor with those across the aisle. Further, the complaint seems to be geared towards compelling the executive to take action. We have already observed how the right reacts to what they consider to be executive overreach on issues like Cuba, Syria, immigration, etc. 3) The US is not the Netherlands. If this case somehow made it to SCOTUS, it would be a hard sell. Scalia in particular abhors recreational/aesthetic claims regarding the environment, and I'm not sure Kennedy would be more sympathetic (albeit for different reasons). As a scholar of environmental law, a student of climate change science, and an observer of US politics, I wonder what the end-game is in this situation. Will this innovative approach to climate change litigation muster more than symbolism and flash-in-the-pan media coverage? I'm curious what others think about the utility of pushing for greater emissions reductions at the Federal level using tactics like this. Best, Josh ------------------------------------------------------------------- Joshua C. Gellers Assistant Professor Department of Political Science and Public Administration University of North Florida 1 UNF Drive Jacksonville, FL 32224 SSRN Author page: http://ssrn.com/author=1560115 Website: www.JoshGellers.com<http://www.JoshGellers.com> Twitter: @JoshGellers Enviro Rights Map: www.envirorightsmap.org<http://www.envirorightsmap.org> ________________________________ From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Cristina Inoue <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2015 11:02 AM To: [email protected]; Aaron Wolf; [email protected] Subject: [gep-ed] Fwd: 8-year-old takes US government to court over climate change Young Americans from Oregon! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Larissa Basso <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Date: Tue, Aug 18, 2015 at 6:08 PM Subject: 8-year-old takes US government to court over climate change To: Rede Clim <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> http://www.rtcc.org/2015/08/14/8-year-old-takes-us-government-to-court-over-climate-change/ By Freya Palmer<https://twitter.com/94Freya> This week a group of young Americans aged 8-19 filed a lawsuit against the US Federal Government to demand greater action on climate change. The 21 young plaintiffs sought an order from the District Court of Oregon, requiring Obama to implement a national plan for the reduction of atmospheric concentrations of CO2 to 350 ppm by the year 2100. This is in line with the international target to keep warming below 2 degrees on pre-industrial levels. The Complaint<http://ourchildrenstrust.org/sites/default/files/15.08.12YouthComplaintAgainstUS.pdf>, submitted on Wednesday to to coincide with International Youth Day, further accuses Obama and the Federal Government of knowingly risking “harm to human life, liberty and property” through intensive fossil fuel use. “The Federal Government has known for decades that CO2 pollution from burning fossil fuels was causing global warming and dangerous climate change,” said Xiuhtezcatl Tonatiuh Martinez, one of the young claimants and Youth Director of Earth Guardians. “Defendants did nothing to prevent this harm. In fact, my Government increased the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere to levels it knew were unsafe.” Report: Climate alarm bells ringing, says Arctic-bound Obama <http://www.rtcc.org/2015/08/14/climate-alarm-bells-ringing-says-arctic-bound-obama/> In particular, it highlights the disproportionate impact that today’s emissions will have on young people. Also included in the complaint are the plaintiffs’ individual stories, each aiming to show how climate change has already begun to affect them, as well as expressing fears for the future. The stories centre around rural Oregon, where the majority of the young claimants reside. One of the group’s major concerns is for the natural beauty and recreational value of Oregon. Already, they said, increased temperatures, droughts and wildfires have made the state’s age-old pastimes of swimming, kayaking, camping and hiking unpredictable. [Levi_800]Rafting enthusiast Zealand reports having to regularly cancel his downriver trips due to unfavourable climactic conditions. Meanwhile, the group said the Oregon coast is suffering from increasing ocean temperatures and acidification due to higher levels of atmospheric CO2. 11-year-old Hazel spends a lot of time at the coast, bodysurfing and rock-pooling, as well as relying on it as a food source. By the time she is an adult, she fears that both of these benefits will be lost. Perhaps most shocking, is the testimony of 8-year-old Levi Draheim, who lives on a barrier island which separates the Indian River Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. Faced with rising sea levels, Levi has been forced to accept the potential loss of his home. The lawsuit comes in the wake of a similar legal case<https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/06/26/18773996.php> in Washington which earlier this year set a new, science-based emissions trajectory for the state. Legal action on the climate is a growing phenomenon. In June of this year, activists in the Netherlands won their case against the Dutch government, resulting in the country’s commitment to deeper emissions cuts of 25% on 1990 levels by 2020, up from the initial 17%. - See more at: http://www.rtcc.org/2015/08/14/8-year-old-takes-us-government-to-court-over-climate-change/#sthash.tC2FQ8it.dpuf -- Você recebeu essa mensagem porque está inscrito no grupo "SISTEMA INTERNACIONAL NO ANTROPOCENO E MUDANÇAS CLIMÁTICAS" dos Grupos do Google. Para cancelar inscrição nesse grupo e parar de receber e-mails dele, envie um e-mail para [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Para mais opções, acesse https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- Cristina Y. A. Inoue Professora-Adjunta Instituto de Relações Internacionais Universidade de Brasília --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Faça consciente, faça diferente! Substitua o copo descartável por uma caneca durável :) Apague as luzes ao sair Feche as torneiras Use os dois lados do papel Dê carona...PEDALE! http://tomeconsciencia-unb.blogspot.com/ -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- IREL-UNB Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro - Universidade de Brasilia - Asa Norte, Caixa Postal 04306 - CEP 70919-970 - Brasilia, DF Telefones 55 61 3107 3644 55 61 3107 3637 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "gep-ed" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "gep-ed" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
