The kids just got some bad news.

Twenty-one children, adolescents, and young adults — all between the ages of 11 and 23 (as of June 2019) — sued the federal government in an unprecedented climate lawsuit in 2015. The youth argued that the U.S., by supporting an energy system that emits potent heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, infringed upon their constitutional rights to a stable future. 

But on Friday, their lawsuit got tossed out. 

The case bounced around the labyrinthine legal system, even making appearances in the Supreme Court. At one point, the Trump administration asked that the case be tossed out. Now, a powerful federal Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Oregon ruled that the case, Juliana v. United States, will not be allowed to proceed. The case, had it not been thrown out, would have essentially put climate science on trial.  Read more...