Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Children Can Now Sue The US Government Over Climate Change (vice.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the courting-disaster dept.

"America's children have officially won the right to sue their government over global warming," reports Motherboard. An anonymous reader quotes their article: Thursday, a lawsuit filed by 21 youth plaintiffs was ruled valid by U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken in Eugene, Oregon. A group of citizens, whose ages range from nine to twenty, charged President Obama, the fossil fuel industry, and other federal agencies with violating their constitutional rights by declining to take action against climate change. "Federal courts too often have been cautious and overly deferential in the arena of environmental law, and the world has suffered for it," wrote Judge Aiken in her ruling. [PDF]
Several groups -- including the U.S. government and the American Petroleum Institute -- had asked the judge to throw out the case, but the judge ruled instead that climate change would "threaten plaintiffs' fundamental constitutional rights to life and liberty," calling man-made climate change an "undisputed" fact. In a related story, Slashdot reader devinp shares a new study which suggests "Global changes in temperature due to human-induced climate change have already impacted every aspect of life on Earth from genes to entire ecosystems, with increasingly unpredictable consequences for humans."

14 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. Constitutional rights by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I guess I have to go back and read them again.

    I don't remember a constitutional right about climate change.

    --
    _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
    1. Re:Constitutional rights by William+Baric · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That's an extremely broad interpretation of rights to life and liberty. What's next? Americans suing the US government for not having done enough research to find a cure for cancer?

    2. Re:Constitutional rights by Major+Blud · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Not to mention that this is really a suit being brought by the parents of these youths.....parents who themselves help contribute to global warming.

      --
      If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
    3. Re:Constitutional rights by thegarbz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's actual pollution, not CO2. I await your reasonable response mentioning that the US Supreme Court had deemed CO2 to be a "pollutant".

      Sorry forgive me. I completely forgot the only emission from coal fired and oil fired power plants was CO2, and that the massive increase in fuel efficiency and effective burning of engines has only changed the amount of CO2 emissions.

      How stupid of me.

  2. This is the exact reason why Trump won by SensitiveMale · · Score: 1, Insightful

    People are getting tired and realizing how much time and money stupid shit like this actually costs.

    1. Re:This is the exact reason why Trump won by SensitiveMale · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No, I'm referring safe spaces.
      No, I'm referring 63 genders.
      No, I'm referring to people being sick and tired of being called racist if they happen to disagree with Obama.
      No, I'm referring to people being sick and tired of being called a homophobe if that don't actively support 100% everything that "the right" gay leaders support.
      No, I'm referring to people being called a bigot and every other name in the book if they aren't completely caught up with the PC jargon du jour.
      No, I'm referring Democrats paying mentally ill homeless people to start fights at Trump events.
      No, I'm referring to yearly proclamations of global warming being irreversible in twenty years for the past forty years.
      No, I'm referring that there hasn't been any global warming temperature changes in almost twenty years.
      No, I'm referring to rioters who can't handle that their candidate lost an election.
      No, I'm referring a business that tells his employees to quit if they voted for Trump.
      No, I'm referring to Democrat leadership actively favoring a candidate.
      No, I'm referring to the DNC chief being forced to step down because of that unethical behavior and then being immediately being hired by the winning candidate.
      No, I'm referring to the next DNC chief caught colluding with journalists by passing on a debate question.
      No, I'm referring that DBC lying about it and then having proof that Brazille passed multiple debate question to Hillary.

      I can keep going on, but I'll stop.
      This is why Trump won.

    2. Re:This is the exact reason why Trump won by Cederic · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So you choose to prefer harrasing people (or exposing them to harrassment) who're different from you?

      Being exposed to facts is not harassment. Being removed from an echo chamber is not harassment. Being asked to justify the bullshit being spouted is not harassment. Hearing other opinions is not harassment.

      There are laws against harassment. Safe spaces are not required, and are very much not safe to many of the people made unwelcome in them.

  3. Can I sue? by ScentCone · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I want to sue the government over the existence of a large number of things and people that they are allowing to threaten my life and happiness. Especially that guy that cut me off in traffic today. And the lack of fiber to my door. It's unfair and I want a bunch of money because my feelings are hurt. Maybe I'll go out and burn down somebody's business and smash some windows, since protesting is fashionable.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  4. Carbon dioxide makes food plants more efficient. by jclaer · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Food plants are now 15% more efficient than 30 years ago. Fewer hungry people! Widely known fact. Search youtube for "earth greening".

  5. Undisputed science? by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    calling man-made climate change an "undisputed" fact.

    I wasn't aware that there was such a thing in empirical science as "undisputed."

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  6. China, the U.S. factory by tfmg_b · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Your parent also did not say a word about the CO2 produced to make goods in China for our country to consume. http://legal-planet.org/2016/0...

  7. Re:Society is not government by hyades1 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    If you're not a "believer" in AGW, then you probably aren't a "believer" in gravity or evolution...or even science.

    So if you're going to post the kind of drivel you seem so fond of, at least show the rest of us enough respect to keep it short.

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  8. the voting dead by harvey+the+nerd · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I wouldn't be surprised if 10-20 million of Hillary's votes are illegals, 3rd or 30th votes, or the voting dead.

  9. Re:Too late for them. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Trump? Seriously? You're looking for a single government to be the singular solution to this problem?

    You fuckers are lost. Clean up your own backyard first of all. Drive a car? Eat meat? Live in a house that is more than 800 square feet? You may not be a denier but you're still part of the problem. Shaking your head in agreement to those who'd sign pacts and make gestures of good will is not enough. And even if all the people on the globe adopted a green life that may not even be enough to stop what's already started. We may have to eliminate people. Best to start by not having children at all. You ready to take the bull by the horns or are you going to sit and pout because you're weak and a fucktard?