A federal appeals court on Friday threw out a lawsuit by children and young adults who claimed they had a constitutional right to be protected from climate change, in a major setback to efforts to spur the U.S. government to address the issue.
Yahaira Jacquez reports.
A federal appeals court on Friday threw out a landmark climate change lawsuit brought by children and young adults, ruling that they did not have legal standing to sue the U.S. government.
The young plaintiffs claimed they had a constitutional right to be protected from climate change.
But, in a 2-1 decision, the government argued that neither U.S. law or history supported their claim of a fundamental right to a "livable climate".
The young people had hoped to force the federal government take more aggressive steps to combat climate change, and claimed that government officials and oil industry titans knew for decades that carbon pollution poisons the environment, and that they did nothing about it.
The ruling comes amid a global movement led by young people demanding action on climate change.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE ACTIVIST GRETA THUNBERG SAYING: "We are now in a new year, and we have entered a new decade.
And so far, during this decade, we have seen no signs whatsoever that real climate action is coming.
And that has to change." In September of last year, 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg inspired millions of people to take part in a global climate strike.