From Fighting America’s Climate Case to Lessons in Perú: A Youth Plaintiff’s Journey for Climate Justice
October 5, 2024
This Hispanic Heritage Month, we proudly highlight Sahara, one of the 21 youth plaintiffs in the constitutional climate lawsuit Juliana v. United States. Sahara is also a college student studying abroad in Cusco, Perú, and in the Q&A below, she shares her perspective on being a youth plaintiff in America’s Climate Case and the climate challenges facing Cusco’s communities.
1. Can you tell us a little about your background and what inspired you to become involved in this lawsuit?
My name is Sahara Hope Valentine. I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, where the Juliana v. United States lawsuit was born. Now I go to college in Bellingham, Washington, and am currently studying abroad in Cusco, Perú. When I joined the lawsuit as one of the 21 youth plaintiffs, I was just ten years old. Now I am twenty, having gone through middle and high school with the case.
Before I joined, I had begun learning about climate change, and felt compelled to help in any way possible. I thought I had less rights than my adult counterparts, but that’s not true, and there were ways to fight for my future and have my voice be heard. After writing a letter to the editor and speaking to my city council about implementing more bike lanes for environmental well-being, I wanted to get more involved with protecting my rights. With perfect timing, I connected with the Our Children’s Trust lawyers about becoming a youth plaintiff, and of course I accepted.
2. You’ve been fighting to have your case heard for nearly a decade. How do you maintain hope?
It has truly been difficult to maintain hope throughout the judicial process– one full of unprecedented stalls and setbacks. However, I have learned that the best way for me to do so is by diving right into local actions. If I am involved with my community, even when things feel overwhelming and impossible, I find solace in small-scale work. It helps me in two ways: by providing a community to help hold me up, and by showing me I truly can help enact positive, tangible changes.
3. What has been the most rewarding part of being a part of your lawsuit?
Over the past nine years, I have felt the most blessed in meeting and knowing the amazing people involved in the lawsuit. If not for Juliana v. United States, I never would have met my fellow plaintiffs, lawyers, and many other incredible visionaries and changemakers. So many of my life lessons have been learned through years’ worth of conversations. In a very real way, they are family to me, guiding me through my formative years with wisdom, radical thought, and love.
4. While studying abroad in Cusco, have you noticed ways in which the climate crisis is affecting the country? Are there differences in how people view climate change?
In my time here in Cusco, I have been fortunate enough to learn directly from Cusqueños how climate change affects their home. As one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Perú has a lot to lose through anthropogenic climate change. Currently, a huge part of the country is on fire. Not only that, but much of the city of Cusco cannot access water. Both the drought and extreme fires are far from usual. In the face of climate change threats, the Peruvian government reacts much differently than that of the United States. Here, climate change is always a part of political conversations. It is not taboo, and rarely even contested. The focus is on how to reduce impacts, those of which are already being felt on extreme levels.
My favorite way of learning about the relationship between our environment while living in Perú has been working with the local Indigenous community of Chocco on their farms. These people are directly impacted by climate change in every way, especially as the land is where they grow all their food to eat and sell. In the face of climate change, these land relationships are directly at risk. The United States is one of the biggest perpetrators of climate change, and I hope for the sake of Chocco’s current and next generations that the U.S. courts will hold my government accountable to mitigate climate risks and harm.