112
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2023
112 points (91.2% liked)
Climate - truthful information about climate, related activism and politics.
5189 readers
772 users here now
Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades:
How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world:
Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:
Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
Folks in the comments are making assumptions about what's in the Constitution, so I decided to go take a look. If I were the petitioners, I'd point to section 1 of the 14th Amendment:
Depriving someone of clean air to breathe is depriving them of life. The medical conditions from being exposed to unclean air threaten property through medical bills in a country without universal healthcare. And finally, liberty cannot exist without life.
And since a lot of folks are going for the technically correct legislative analysis, remember that bad air causes autoimmune disorders, and thus abridge the immunities of the citizens of the United States. A stretch, but I'd say it qualifies if you're analyzing the law from a purely textual standpoint.
Can I just say I absolutely love the 14th amendment? It's not the Declaration of Independence, but it does a lot of heavy lifting for it in the Constitution.
Montana's young people have set a precedent. We can build on this and demand the same on a federal level.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/young-activists-in-montana-win-landmark-climate-change-lawsuit-against-state
They built their case around a clause in the state constitution which guarantees the right to a clean and healthful environment. It takes something more to win at the US federal level where there isn't a clause like that.