The US state of Montana has 5,000 gas wells, 4,000 oil wells, six coal mines and four oil refineries; it produces as much carbon dioxide as countries including Argentina and the Netherlands. But since 2011, state law has prevented officials from considering climate change when reviewing the impact of fossil fuel projects – something that a state judge has now ruled unconstitutional in a “monumental” case brought by 16 young environmentalists. The plaintiffs in Held v. Montana, aged between five and 22 years old, argued that these laws violated their constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment”, in the first such case to reach trial in the United States. Young people are bringing similar cases in Hawaii, Utah and Virginia.
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