Ruin to Resilience: How Destruction Led to Action for this 3-Time Plaintiff
Delaney Reynolds has watched the places she loves disappear before her eyes. She has seen her home damaged from hurricanes, felt the surrounding waters of the Florida Keys warm to unprecedented levels, watched the coral reefs near her home bleach and die, and has witnessed the sea level rise consume some of the places she loves most. It was this destruction that compelled her to join Lighthiser v. Trump, a historic youth-led federal climate change case, as a plaintiff.
Generations of Change: An End-of-Year Reflection with Youth Plaintiff Jeff and His Mom, Laura
When Jeff first became a plaintiff in Held v. Montana, he was six years old. His mother, Laura, remembers telling Jeff and his little brother Nate, also a plaintiff, about the case during bathtime. Now, at nearly twelve, after the groundbreaking win of Held v. Montana, Jeff is again stepping into the national spotlight as one of the youth plaintiffs in Lighthiser v. Trump, a case that could shape the future of climate policy for generations.
Uniting for Climate Rights: West Coast Environmental Law Joins Canadian Youth-Led Climate Lawsuit
Across Canada, the signs of a worsening climate crisis are impossible to ignore—wildfires blanketing skies in smoke, floods swallowing communities, and rising costs leaving families struggling to rebuild. For the young Canadians behind La Rose v. His Majesty the King, these are not distant threats but daily realities that jeopardize their futures and violate their Charter rights to life, liberty, and security of the person. Determined to hold their government accountable, they are preparing to make history at the first federal climate trial in Canada.
The Great White North Is Burning!
Canada holds a special place in my heart. I began visiting the Great White North as a baby on family vacations. We would boat across Lake of the Woods from Minnesota’s Northwest Angle into Manitoba waters, where the better fishing lay. I turned these youthful trips to Canadian lakes and rivers into my Ph.D. research, documenting the final retreat and disappearance of the world’s largest ice sheet, the Laurentide. This research led me to drive across northern Manitoba and Quebec. As a professor, I expanded that work to Labrador, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories. I’ve also kicked around Nova Scotia, visiting a Canadian marine core lab there to sample sediments that would record Laurentide meltwater discharge through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the North Atlantic and how it impacted ocean circulation.
An Indigenous Youth’s Journey for Climate Justice in Canada
For 21-year-old Leandrea, a member of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation who lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, the fight against the climate crisis is personal, physical and cultural. “Climate change doesn’t just affect our land,” she says. “It affects the ways we live, heal, and connect. The climate crisis is a cultural crisis too.”
Wisconsin Youth Take Bold Legal Action for Climate Justice and Constitutional Rights
Children across the U.S. are growing up on the frontlines of the climate crisis—losing their homes to wildfires, storms, and floods, while their health is put at risk and rights are violated by their own governments. Unable to vote, 15 children from across Wisconsin are standing up to change that, taking legal action to protect their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and a stable climate system.
Youth Plaintiffs Challenge President Trump’s Fossil Fuel Executive Orders in Historic Federal Hearing
As the Trump administration moves aggressively to unleash more fossil fuels through executive orders that worsen climate change, obstruct the clean energy transition, and suppress the very science needed to protect children and ecosystems on the brink, 22 young Americans have bravely stepped forward. They’re suing the administration to protect their constitutional rights to life and liberty, and stop the executive orders that harm their health and safety.
One Year Later: Hawaiʻi's Climate Settlement Delivers Transformative Progress
Just over a year ago, a significant moment occurred in Hawaiʻi's climate history. After thirteen youth plaintiffs, represented by Our Children's Trust, took the state to the brink of trial in Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, the Director of HDOT made a crucial decision: to choose collaboration over confrontation. The settlement that followed—the first of its kind in the United States—committed Hawaiʻi to reaching zero emissions from ground, marine, and interisland air travel by 2045.
Youth Power is Steering the Future of Electric Transportation in Hawai‘i
One year ago, youth in Hawaiʻi made history. Through Navahine v. HDOT, they secured a first-of-its-kind legal settlement agreement to decarbonize Hawaiʻi’s transportation system by 2045 and protect young people’s constitutional rights to a livable climate. But the fight didn’t end with the legal victory—it was just the beginning.
Eva Lighthiser Is Suing for Her Future—Again
As the lead plaintiff in Lighthiser v. Trump, Eva Lighthiser returns to the courtroom nearly two years after her groundbreaking role in Held v. State of Montana, a landmark case that secured constitutional protections against fossil fuel harms in her home state. Now, facing a new challenge on the federal stage, Eva opens up about why she continues to fight for climate justice, the personal toll of defending her rights in court, and what winning this case would mean for her generation’s future—both legally and personally.
Why Every Ton of Greenhouse Gas Pollution Matters for Children’s Health
Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is the most profound health threat facing children today—and their greatest opportunity for health improvement if we act. As both a practicing pediatrician and the Executive Director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, I witness firsthand how the climate crisis affects children’s bodies, minds, and futures. This is not an abstract threat or one that lies far in the future; it is harming children right now.
Transforming Climate Anxiety Into Creative Action
This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re honored to share a powerful Q&A with Olivia Vesovich, a youth plaintiff in the historic youth-led climate lawsuit, Held v. Montana and a Gen Z advisor with the Climate Mental Health Network. Olivia courageously testified in court about the emotional toll of the climate crisis—sharing not only the devastating impacts on her health and mental health, but also how art, advocacy, and community have become vital tools in her healing. In this piece, she reflects on what it meant to speak truth to power, how creative expression helps her navigate climate anxiety, and why tending to our emotional well-being is essential to building a just, livable future. Olivia’s story is a testament to the strength it takes to feel deeply and the hope that grows when we face the climate crisis together.
Navigating Climate Anxiety: A Guide for Youth During Mental Health awareness Month
In recent years, the term “climate anxiety” has gained attention, particularly among young people who are deeply concerned about the future of our planet. Although any type of anxiety is unique to the person, Climate anxiety generally refers to fear, stress, and overwhelming worry about the environmental crisis and its impact on our world. This impact is spread across cultures, the globe, all regions and all people. With rising temperatures, natural disasters, and biodiversity loss, it’s understandable that many young people feel a growing sense of despair. So, how can we navigate these real, intense emotions while still maintaining hope and motivation?
The Birth of Our Children's Trust: A Mother's Day to Remember
In May 2011, something remarkable happened in the landscape of climate activism. Our Children's Trust launched an unprecedented legal campaign that would forever change how we think about climate change and constitutional rights. We launched over 50 legal actions all at the same time to coincide with hundreds of youth-led climate marches around the world. This movement marked the emergence of our organization's public journey—one that would go on to transform climate litigation and advocacy worldwide.
The Power of an Intergenerational Movement in the Fight for a Safe, Livable Climate
Earth Month is a time to honor our planet and the people fighting to protect it across generations. At Our Children’s Trust, this intergenerational movement grows from the power of youth-led climate litigation, where young plaintiffs work with each other, a team of attorneys, and climate, energy, and medical experts to defend their rights to a safe climate.
In this special Earth Month Q&A, we sat down with Delaney Reynolds, the lead youth plaintiff in Reynolds v. Florida Public Service Commission, who shares how her years-long collaboration with Our Children’s Trust attorney, Andrea Rodgers, has shaped her path in climate advocacy, inspired her academic and career goals, and demonstrated the powerful impact of working with people of all ages.
Carrying the Legacy of Environmental Law and Protecting Children’s Rights to a Safe Climate
This Earth Month, we celebrate the intergenerational bonds that fuel climate action. At Our Children’s Trust, youth plaintiffs fight for their rights for a safe, livable future, but they’re not in it alone. Behind them are parents, grandparents, lawyers, experts, and community members committed to helping them secure their fundamental rights.
To highlight this special intergenerational bond, we sat down with Andrea Rodgers, Our Children’s Trust Deputy Director of U.S. Strategy. Andrea shares how her father’s legacy shaped her path, what she’s learned from youth plaintiffs like Delaney Reynolds, and how intergenerational collaboration is key to a just, sustainable future.
Youth Plaintiffs Fight to Stop the Alaska LNG Project and Trump’s Directive to “Unleash Alaska’s Resource Potential”
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump issued a sweeping declaration: a so-called “National Energy Emergency.” The disconnect? The U.S. is currently producing more energy than any country in history, with surpluses so large that much of it is destined for export, not domestic use. The real emergency isn’t a lack of energy. It’s the climate crisis, and in Alaska, that emergency is escalating at terrifying speed.
Juliana v. U.S. - Ten Years of Impact
Juliana v. United States was filed in August 2015 to secure children’s climate rights and protect future generations. The case faced more government opposition than any in history where the United States is a defendant, but nevertheless the Juliana 21 never backed down.
They fought for a decade across four presidential administrations andignited a global movement for recognition of our fundamental climate rights.
Young Women Making History: Rikki Held on Climate Litigation, Justice, and the Power of Youth Voices
Throughout history, young women have been at the forefront of the climate movement, challenging injustices and reshaping the future. This Women’s History Month, we celebrate those who are making history today, like Rikki Held, the lead youth plaintiff in Held v. State of Montana, the constitutional climate case that secured a groundbreaking victory for youth and safe climate. As one of nine young women plaintiffs in the case, Rikki is part of a powerful new generation of leaders proving that the voices of young women are indispensable in the fight for climate rights. Rikki holds a BA in Environmental Science from Colorado College and currently works as a science educator in Kenya through the Peace Corps. Her future plans include attending graduate school to continue earth and climate science research.
Honoring Women Experts in Youth-Led Climate Litigation
Women have long been at the forefront of movements for justice and equality, using their expertise, courage, and persistence to drive meaningful change. In the fight for climate rights, women are again leading the charge—bringing scientific knowledge, medical expertise, and policy advocacy to youth-led climate litigation. This Women’s History Month, we recognize the extraordinary women experts who have played a pivotal role in Our Children’s Trust’s groundbreaking cases, standing alongside young plaintiffs to hold governments accountable for the climate crisis.