When youth sue to protect the planet and their health: Inside a bold legal strategy to fight climate change

Presented jointly with:  

Departments of Nutrition and Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 

C-CHANGE (Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 

Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics at Harvard Law School 

Last summer, 16 young plaintiffs won a pioneering lawsuit against the state of Montana. Their claim: By failing to consider the climate impact of fossil fuel projects, the state had violated children’s rights to a clean and healthful environment. The lawsuit is represented and supported by the public interest, nonprofit law firm Our Children’s Trust, which has filed a similar case in Hawaii, as well as federal lawsuits. Our panelists, including Julia Olson, Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel at Our Children’s Trust, will discuss the novel legal strategy and share insights on new tactics for protecting the planet and our collective health and wellbeing from climate change, drawing on examples from the U.S. and Latin America. 

Register for free to submit your questions.   

An on-demand video will be posted after the event. 

SPEAKERS

Kari Nadeau, Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 

Julia Olson, Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel, Our Children’s Trust 

Alicia Ely Yamin, Lecturer on Law, Harvard Law School, and Adjunct Senior Lecturer on Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 

MODERATOR

Chris Golden, Associate Professor and Director of the Program in Nutrition and Planetary Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health