Supreme Court rejects young Oregon activists' climate appeal

by Allison Gutleber

Mon, March 24th 2025 at 4:55 PM

Updated Tue, March 25th 2025 at 10:21 PM

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2015, file photo, teenage environmental activist Aji Piper holds up a shirt he was symbolically presenting to Bill Gates as he stands with Wren Wagenbach, right, Lara Fain and other youth after a rally in Seattle. A lawsuit by a group of young Americans accusing the U.S. government of harming them by having fostered a fossil-fuels energy system faces a major hurdle Tuesday, June 4, 2019, when a federal appeals court hears oral arguments on whether the case should proceed. "It is the constitutional duty of the government to protect public trust resources on which we all depend, and to protect us from any damages that it may inflict upon its citizens," insisted Piper, one of the 21 plaintiffs. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this June 4, 2019, file photo, Kelsey Rose Juliana, of Eugene, Ore, speaks at a rally for a group of young people who filed an environmental lawsuit against the U.S. government in Portland, Ore. Oregon is on the precipice of becoming the second state after California to adopt a cap-and-trade program, a market-based approach to lowering the greenhouse gas emissions behind global warming. (AP Photo/Steve Dipaola, File)

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FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2015, file photo, teenage environmental activist Aji Piper holds up a shirt he was symbolically presenting to Bill Gates as he stands with Wren Wagenbach, right, Lara Fain and other youth after a rally in Seattle. A lawsuit by a group of young Americans accusing the U.S. government of harming them by having fostered a fossil-fuels energy system faces a major hurdle Tuesday, June 4, 2019, when a federal appeals court hears oral arguments on whether the case should proceed. "It is the constitutional duty of the government to protect public trust resources on which we all depend, and to protect us from any damages that it may inflict upon its citizens," insisted Piper, one of the 21 plaintiffs. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The Supreme Court has declined an appeal from a group of young climate activists from Oregon, who sued the government over climate change.

"I think it's really a testament to the perseverance of young people in the country today. Juliana has faced more government opposition than any other case in history where the United States is a defendant," said Andrea Rodgers, deputy director of US Strategy for Our Children's Trust.

For 10 years now a group of 21 minors from Oregon have been involved in a legal fight with the federal government over climate change. They filed the lawsuit back in 2015 saying they have a constitutional right to a climate that sustains life. They say the government's energy policies deprived them of their fundamental rights.

But the case has been tied up in legal battles over whether they have standing to sue. The Supreme Court declined the group's appeal and did not explain its decision.

"The case has inspired over 60 youth-led climate lawsuits worldwide against more than 50 countries and states securing winds in places like Columbia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, the Netherlands," said Rodgers.

KATU asked if the plaintiffs in Juliana vs United States will continue to fight for justice.

Rodgers said, "Right now, young people are looking at international forums as a way to hold the US accountable for their contributions to climate change, as well as looking at bringing new legal theories inspired by Juliana in the federal courts as well."

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