And a Child Shall Lead Them

You may remember Butterfly, a youthful activist who sat in an old growth tree to protest logging these beautiful, historic trees.

And of course you have heard of Greta Thunberg, a Swedish activist who has led resistance to climate change since the age of 15.

Now we have activists closer to home, specifically in Montana.

Specifically, a high school student and athlete Mica Kantor, is suing the state over climate change,namely smoke from wildfires. He is joined in the suit by 16 young Montana residents, arguing that the state is violating their constitutional rights by failing to keep the environment clean.

The trial is first of its kind and no doubt will lead to other proactive action.

Mica said the smoke has made it difficult to run, go on hikes with his family, and made the snowboarding season shorter( this last one is obviously coming from a youthful perspective 🙂)

In the suit, this youth brigade are asking a judge to declare unconstitutional a state law that prevents agencies from considering the effect of greenhouse gasses when they issue they issue permits for fossil fuel development.

The jury is out, experts say it may take weeks for a verdict. But one thing is true, irregardless of the finding: this action, the first of its kind, will serve as a signpost for what lays ahead: if one thing is true about companies, it is that they hate lawsuits.

And maybe Montana will change its state motto from ‘The silver and gold state’ to ‘The clean and green state’.

One can only hope! It is a great sign that the youth of today recognize the future, and acting on it!