Standing Up for Youth Climate Rights

Eighteen young people are challenging the EPA’s repeal of the 2009 “endangerment finding” on constitutional grounds. The finding provided the basis for federal climate policy,including the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks, and power plants. Photo by Sila Lundquist / Unsplash. Earlier this year, the Trump administration repealed the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “endangerment finding” that greenhouse gases pose a danger to public health. The determination was, until now, the foundation for federal climate policy. Among many challenges to the repeal, one stands out: a youth-led petition based on the constitutional rights to life, liberty, and religious freedom. Terra Verde host Zoe Loftus-Farren speaks with Elena Venner, a college student and the lead petitioner, and Julia Olson, the founder, co-executive director, and chief legal counsel of Our Children’s Trust, the public interest law firm representing young people in the petition. The post Standing Up for Youth Climate Rights appeared first on KPFA.