February 2024
Each month, we invite you to learn about the people, the progress, the precedent, and the history-making protection of children’s right to a safe climate powered by Our Children’s Trust.
people-powered justice
Meet Liz Lee! Liz first joined Our Children’s Trust in 2018 as a pro bono attorney. Now, as the Government Affairs Staff Attorney, Liz continues to pioneer the government affairs program by increasing the organization’s presence on Capitol Hill, ensuring the voices of our youth plaintiffs and education on OCT’s position on children’s constitutional rights to a safe climate and science-based climate targets, are heard by policymakers. She works closely with our partners, including members of Congress, youth leaders, and coalitions of climate, environmental justice, health, labor, and faith-based organizations. She also mentors a team of brilliant, hard-working, committed interns.
1. What do you do here at Our Children’s Trust?
I lead the government affairs program. My work focuses on educating the legislative, executive, and judicial branches about OCT's mission to secure children's constitutional rights to a life-sustaining climate system and the need to use science to make sound policy about climate. I also work closely with other organizations to build coalitions of support for children's fight to stop climate change through our courts. Through various actions, Congress, organizations, and the public can engage and weigh in on the importance of children’s climate rights. Learn more, here.
2. How did you get involved in climate action and find your way here?
My path here was non-traditional. As a child, I was determined to save the rainforests to protect sloths, giant trees, and rivers. During law school, I clerked for the U.S. EPA, but afterwards, I charted a new career path. Almost 20 years later, as lead regulatory counsel at the U.S. FDA, I realized that climate change was the biggest issue we faced, and I worried about the future for my seven-year-old niece. After joining my first lobby meeting advocating for clean energy legislation in my home state of Maryland, I realized the power of my voice, and wanted to empower others to use their voices, too.
As the moratorium for fracking was about to expire, I feared for my niece, still growing and vulnerable to the harms from contaminated water and air. Mentored by veteran climate warriors, I joined an intense legislative campaign culminating in the historic ban on fracking in Maryland. Moving on from clean energy campaigns, I recalled a presentation by Julia Olson, OCT’s Chief Legal Officer; and Juliana plaintiff Vic Barrett, where I couldn’t believe that I had not heard of OCT’s novel work! I realized that securing children’s constitutional right to a safe climate was the key to finding a lasting solution. After co-organizing a rally at the U.S. Supreme Court blasting DOJ’s tactics to delay Juliana from proceeding to trial, I joined OCT as a pro bono attorney, which paved the way for my eventual role leading OCT’s government affairs program.
3. What has been one of your favorite memories or experiences since you joined the team?
It is a privilege to work with our youth plaintiffs and young climate activists and provide them with opportunities to get their voice heard in congressional meetings. I coordinated high-profile opportunities for seven Juliana plaintiffs during DC Climate Week, when Greta Thunberg visited in 2019. I loved getting to know and prepare the youth plaintiffs. I was in awe of our fearless youth leaders who testified alongside Greta, from Vic Barrett testifying at the Joint House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Climate Crisis hearing, Nathan Baring and Avery M. testifying at the Senate Climate Change Task Force, plaintiffs explaining their case to Speaker Pelosi at the Capitol, to Kelsey Juliana and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez speaking at a press conference at the Supreme Court. I was forever moved that day as I moderated the press conference surrounded by dozens of reporters, witnessed the plaintiffs passionately plea to be heard by the courts, lawmakers and the world, and watched members of Congress stand in solidarity and promise to fight for them, as young climate activists cheered!
Watch the amazing video of the Juliana plaintiffs’ visit to Congress.
4. What gives you hope?
I find hope in knowing that our path is not written, and we can always change the narrative. If there are massive boulders in our way that we cannot move, we can choose to change course and climb up or go around them. Not long ago, Julia Olson reminded us that if we keep doing the same thing, we can’t expect anything to change, so we need to do something different! It is exciting to work with our partners on new ideas and to see our novel approach to finding solutions to protect children's constitutional rights in Genesis v. EPA, focusing on children as a protected class and their rights to equality and to life. Creative thinking based on science and sound legal reasoning gives me hope as we face this challenging journey to secure children’s rights.
5. What is one thing you’d want everyone to know about Our Children’s Trust?
OCT's staff is growing and so is our diversity. I felt urgency to join the climate movement and lead because I felt that there weren’t enough people in the movement that looked like me. All voices must be represented to effect just and meaningful change - young, old, from all ethnicities, from frontline and environmental justice communities, and walks of life. I am glad to be at an organization that shares this value and continues to grow its staff in a way that ensures a diverse set of life experiences and perspectives are doing this critical work.
Youth-Powered Justice
Nicolas Lama – Government Affairs Intern (Summer and Fall 2023)
Meet Nicolas Lama! Nicolas, one of the eleven government affairs interns from 2023, is a senior at Columbia University studying economics and political science. At Our Children’s Trust, Nicolas led research projects tracking climate and environmental policies and played a pivotal role in educating members of Congress on OCT’s mission and youth-led cases and garnering cosponsors for the 2023 Children’s Fundamental Rights and Climate Recovery Resolution.
Learn more and apply to the government affairs climate internship, legal clerkship, and other internships here.
1. At what point did you know climate activism was for you?
Growing up on an island in South Florida, I forged a deep connection to nature at an early age. Family excursions kayaking atop glassy waters, snorkeling in nearby reefs, or surfing on Atlantic swells shaped my childhood memories and imbued me with a strong desire to do my part to protect our planet. At the same time my family and I were forced to evacuate our home due to the threat of severe hurricanes and storm surge every year, I witnessed how Florida’s political leaders refused to even talk about climate change. As I began using my voice in high school to engage members of my community about environmental issues, I realized that I could channel my skills and leadership into climate activism to fight for our fundamental rights to a safe climate. If our leaders were not going to address the climate crisis with the urgency it required, I knew it was up to young people to make a difference.
2. What inspired you to intern with Our Children’s Trust?
I first learned about Our Children’s Trust as a first-year at Columbia when I interviewed Delaney Reynolds, lead plaintiff in OCT’s Florida lawsuit, for an episode of the Columbia Political Review’s podcast. Interviewing Delaney left me incredibly inspired not only by OCT’s youth plaintiffs, but also by OCT’s bold thinking and innovative strategies in protecting children from the climate crisis. Later, as a junior, I took a course in climate change law taught by renowned environmental lawyer Michael Gerrard. After Professor Gerrard lectured about the status and significance of Juliana, explaining OCT’s monumental work in the field of climate litigation, I knew I had to intern for this incredible organization. Now, I am proud of the work I have done and this special opportunity to fight alongside the youth plaintiffs from state, federal, and global cases, to secure our rights to equality, to life, and a life-sustaining climate system.
3. What do you hope to do after finishing your degree?
I will be attending law school and pursuing a career in environmental law. My involvement in helping to advance climate litigation at Our Children’s Trust and educating members of Congress on targets based on the best-available science and climate justice has not only reaffirmed my belief that pursuing environmental law is my true calling, but has also underscored the critical need for more young lawyers to join this field as quickly as possible. The health of our planet requires fast and impactful legal action to mitigate the climate crisis, like those pursued by the youth plaintiffs represented by OCT, and I want to continue being a part of the solution as a future lawyer.
4. How has working with Our Children’s Trust impacted you?
My experience has been transformative. Not only have I gained insights into the intricacies of environmental law and policy, but I have also been inspired by the resilience and dedication of Our Children’s Trust youth plaintiffs and attorneys, fighting for a better future on our planet.
OCT reaffirmed my belief in the power of youth: whether we’re in the courtroom, the hallways of Congress, or in the streets of New York City, we can use our voice to make a difference. When I joined OCT in the summer of 2023, the Held trial had just started, and I witnessed history as the brave youth plaintiffs made their case for why their climate rights should be protected. Throughout the summer, I spoke to congressional offices about the importance of cosponsoring the Children’s Fundamental Rights and Climate Recovery resolution, explaining the principles of Juliana and Held, and sharing my own harms from the climate crisis. I brought this advocacy to the streets of NYC during the massive March to End Fossil Fuels with fellow students and my Juliana artwork in hand, joining thousands of other youth activists demanding action to hold governments accountable for violating our climate rights.
5. What would you say to those who feel they cannot make a difference?
When it comes to the climate crisis, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the issue. You must recognize that your voice matters. Believe in your ability to influence change. Take inspiration from youth climate activists who have started with grassroots efforts and gained momentum. Your unique perspective can contribute to a larger movement, inspiring others to do the same. Moreover, don't underestimate the strength found in community. Sharing your commitment with like-minded individuals provides a strong support system and a shared platform to fight for climate action and justice. In unity, we can amplify our impact and collectively pave the way towards a brighter future.
DEMOCRACY-POWERED Trust
John Beard, Founder and CEO of Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN)
Credit attributed to Survival Media Agency.
Meet John Beard! John partners with Our Children’s Trust to rally our coalition partners, including People vs. Fossil Fuel, to end the eight-year campaign that is denying the Juliana youth plaintiffs access to justice. He co-delivered a petition to the U.S. Department of Justice that urged them to open the courthouse doors to the 21 youth plaintiffs. He is the founder and CEO of Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN), an environmental justice advocacy and community development non-profit organization.
Together with PACAN, we work to secure and protect the rights of young people around the country.
1. How does PACAN protect climate rights?
We advocate for climate rights by speaking to policymakers and Biden Administration officials and testifying at Congressional and federal agency hearings on the harms to Gulf coast communities. I personally take officials, including U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm and members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, on toxic tours to see and smell the fossil fuel and petrochemical facilities and pollution spewing from the smokestacks with their very own eyes and noses.
When Jane Fonda featured Port Arthur on Fire Drill Fridays, she was moved when she saw for herself what thousands of people from our community and children are exposed to each day, and the health problems that cause us a lifetime of hardship. Like the young people that OCT represents, I felt empowered when I joined lawsuits to hold our government in Texas accountable. When the 5th Circuit recently struck down a major air pollution permit for an LNG export terminal under construction on the Gulf Coast, it sent a message to the rest of the companies that are looking at us and want to make us a sacrifice zone. We’re going to attack every single one of them, and we’re going to take them down.
2. How and why do you partner with Our Children’s Trust and the young people we represent?
I partnered with Our Children’s Trust and the young people they represent to use my voice and rally coalition partners, including the People vs. Fossil Fuel coalition, to end the DOJ’s campaign to deny these brave youth access to justice. Following Judge Aiken’s long-awaited ruling that finally put Juliana v. U.S. back on track to trial, I was proud to co-deliver a petition, hosted by the People vs. Fossil Fuel coalition and supported by over 50,000 people across the world and more than 255 organizations, to the U.S. Department of Justice that urged the DOJ to stop shutting the courthouse doors on the 21 youth plaintiffs. I was disappointed and disheartened when the DOJ filed a motion to dismiss the case the very next day. I’m even more outraged that more than eight years later, the DOJ recently indicated that it will file a seventh petition for writ of mandamus to delay the case once more. This is unacceptable. These young Americans have the right to be heard by their nation’s courts. Justice deferred, regardless of age, is justice DENIED.
Watch John’s video from when he digitally co-delivered the petition to the DOJ last June.
3. What personally inspires you to take climate action?
Being born and raised on the fenceline of fossil fuel facilities, working in the fossil fuel industry in the past, and being a former elected official, I became aware of the disparity and exploitation by the industry. Combined with the sickness, disease, and suffering in my community, I felt compelled to act, to try and make a difference. I do this work for my son and his children’s children, and for all of us living in the Gulf, especially innocent children from coastal communities of color who don’t have political or economic power to stop this, but are disproportionately harmed and subjected to the pollution from the fossil fuel industry that our own governments are promoting.
Learn more about the Port Arthur Community Action Network, here.
Zanagee Artis, Founder and Executive Director of Zero Hour
Meet Zanagee Artis! Zanagee is the founder and executive director of ZeroHour, a youth-led organization applying the power of collective action to shape a sustainable future. Zero Hours partners with Our Children’s Trust, joining with youth plaintiffs to hold their government accountable for violating children’s constitutional rights.
Together with Zero Hour, we work to secure and protect the rights of young people around the country.
1. How does Zero Hour protect climate rights?
Zero Hour empowers and amplifies the voices of diverse youth in the fight for climate and environmental justice to ignite a movement where every voice matters and our planet thrives. Since 2017, when Zanagee was a high school student, Zero Hour has been mobilizing young people around the world to end the era of fossil fuels.
2. How and why do you partner with Our Children’s Trust and the young people we represent?
We partner with Our Children’s Trust to join the youth plaintiffs to hold governments accountable for violating children’s constitutional rights. From state, federal to global cases, Zero Hour fights alongside the youth plaintiffs every step of the way to secure our rights to equality, to life and a life-sustaining climate system.
Last June, after Judge Aiken gave Juliana v. U.S. the greenlight to trial, I was excited to play my part in co-delivering a petition, hosted by the People vs. Fossil Fuel coalition and supported by thousands of people and organizations, that told the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that enough is enough! Since this case was filed, the three administrations under Presidents Obama, Trump, and now Biden, continue to promote the fossil fuel industry and block progress on climate justice! It is appalling that more than eight years later, the DOJ is still aggressively delaying the case by filing yet another motion and signaling its intent to file a seventh petition for writ of mandamus. We deserve leaders who will fight for our futures on this planet.
Watch this video of Zanagee when he digitally co-delivered the petition to the DOJ last June on behalf of youth.
3. What personally inspires you to take climate action?
I am inspired by the climate justice movement’s shared vision for a better world. A world in which all people everywhere have access to a clean and safe environment. I believe that we will see that vision realized in our lifetime, but we all have to fight for it.
Learn more about the Zero Hour, here.
Science-Powered Evidence
On B Horror Films and Marine Heatwaves
It’s rare, but not unheard of, that 1950s camp classic Hollywood horror films cross paths with extreme human-caused climate disasters, but such is the case when we look back at “The Blob.” This 1958 sci-fi drive-in classic had its real-life climate counterpart in late 2013, ending its run in 2016. The Blob, scientifically, was the longest and most intense marine heatwave ever recorded in human history, which covered much of the northeastern Pacific spanning from southwest of Hawai’i to the north coast of Alaska (see Figure). And just like the movie, the heatwave Blob had a sequel in 2019: “The Blob 2.0.”
Figure: At the top is a graph showing the duration of all marine heatwaves from 1981 to 2017, with the Blob highlighted in red. Below is a map showing the duration that the largest marine heatwaves had a certain extent, with the Blob labeled. Modified from Laufkötter and co-authors (2020, Science).
What is a marine heatwave? The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines them as “periods of persistent anomalously warm ocean temperatures, which can have significant impacts on marine life as well as coastal communities and economies.” This is precisely the impact that the three-year long Blob had in the Pacific along the western North American coast from California to Alaska. The hot waters led to the longest-lasting toxic algal bloom in more than 15 years that closed Dungeness crab and mussel fisheries. Salmon populations plummeted due to warm waters. Groundfish lost habitat from hypoxia (low oxygen). Krill and squid migrated northwards, impacting baleen whales through food loss. Massive numbers of seabirds, seals and sea lions starved to death. In Hawai’i, the Blob and its sequel devastated the islands’ coral reefs. The Blob also set up a high-pressure system that deflected storm tracks around the Pacific Northwest, resulting in the region having the lowest ever recorded snowpack by the spring of 2015. This lack of snow led to drought and may have been the final push that caused the Trinity Alps of California to lose all of their glaciers.
In the absence of human-greenhouse gas emissions, the Blob would never have occurred. In today’s climate, a Blob-like marine heatwave has a reoccurrence interval of 40-50 years according to the analyses by Laufkötter and co-authors in a 2020 Science publication. They also calculated that Blob-like marine heatwaves will happen about every 10 years and 4-6 years at the Paris Agreement global heating level of 1.5ºC and 2ºC, respectively. The Blob would become the new norm at 3ºC of global heating, which is the current temperature trajectory for the planet based on global national policies according to the 2023 United Nations Emissions Gap Report.
This is why OCT only fights for real climate solutions rather than deadly political compromises such as the Paris Agreement. We want to set our planet on a legally binding climate path towards a target that will remove these damages to us, our ecosystems, and future generations: get atmospheric CO2 back to below 350 ppm. This is the upper limit that is considered “safe” from human-caused climate disasters, such as “the Blob” and its sequel.