While some cases have faltered, the Montana Supreme Court in December held that the state's constitution guarantees a right to a stable climate system. Hawaii in June agreed to a first-in-the-nation settlement with young people to take action to decarbonize its transportation system by 2045.
In Monday's case, which was filed in 2015, the youth plaintiffs had alleged the U.S. government has permitted, authorized and subsidized fossil fuel extraction and consumption despite knowing those actions cause catastrophic global warming.
By contributing to climate change, the plaintiffs said U.S. energy policies violate their rights to due process and equal protection under the U.S. Constitution.
But in a 2020 ruling, the 9th Circuit held it was beyond the power of the courts to order and supervise remedies designed to address climate change and that such complex policy decisions were better left to Congress and the executive branch.