“Big Oil has Fundamentally Altered How I Experience Everyday Life”
Maddison Schink, Suncor v. Boulder youth amici.
October 5, 2026
By Maddison Schink
Maddison Schink is one of 8 youth who signed an amicus brief with Our Children’s Trust and a national pediatric climate health expert in support of Boulder County in Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County. Suncor and ExxonMobil are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strip state and local governments of the power to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate harm, after Boulder County and the City of Boulder sued both companies for allegedly deceiving the public about fossil fuels' climate impacts for decades. The brief shares youths’ stories of how kids to are uniquely vulnerable to fossil fuel and climate. Harm, arguing states have always had the duty to protect their citizens from fossil fuels, especially children.
Maddison gave an excerpt of this speech at a rally ahead of Supreme Court oral arguments on October 5, 2026.
Hi, I’m Maddi Schink, a 26-year-old graduate school student and one of the 8 young people who signed an amicus brief in support of Boulder County. Thank you all for being here today to hear our stories of how climate change has undeniably affected our lives. We are inheriting a warming world and a system beholden to the interests of fossil fuel companies. Young people are collectively paying the price for decisions we did not make, and the costs are deeply personal.
On December 30, 2021, my grandma called to tell me there was a grassfire growing out of control and she and my grandpa needed to evacuate immediately. She asked me to picture my bedroom and name three irreplaceable things she should try to save – it was my camera, a childhood blanket, and a backpack with patches – but I knew deep down that nothing could ever replace the memories that my family shared in that space. Ultimately, I was one of the lucky ones; although my neighborhood survived, more than 1,000 houses, like Alina’s, did not.
Smoke from a fire engulfs the air, a growing reality for young people in a warming world. Photo by Og Mpango.
The Marshall Fire left lasting scars on our community and shattered my sense of safety. Years later, I still experience anxiety and even panic attacks on hot, windy days when I see fire trucks racing past or hear reports of nearby grass fires. I know all too well how quickly those conditions can become catastrophic in Colorado’s new reality of severe drought and extreme heat caused by climate change. Young people across my state are experiencing tremendous mental health impacts of the climate crisis, from anxiety and periods of depression rooted in the uncertainty of our futures and the livability of the place we want to continue to call home.
After the Marshall Fire, I have dedicated my life to confronting climate change. Too many adults and government leaders have taken action that only worsens this climate crisis. Suncor and Exxon Mobil have knowingly deceived the public about the climate impacts of their products for decades while continuing to produce, market, and sell fossil fuels at levels they knew would cause irreparable harm. And now they are asking the Supreme Court to take away my government’s right to hold them accountable and protect me from climate harm.
An oil refinery polluting the air. Photo by Danny Burke.
I currently live near the Suncor refinery, where I regularly see black plumes rising from the facility and news alerts about air pollution and permit violations. I have a chronic illness that is significantly worsened by extreme heat and poor air quality from both the refinery and wildfire smoke. I have had to miss school, step back from internships and work, and cancel plans because my body simply cannot keep up. There is no doubt in my mind that Big Oil has fundamentally altered how I experience everyday life.
As a lifelong Coloradan, I have watched wildfire seasons grow longer, summers grow hotter, and water become scarcer. I worry about the toll on my physical and mental health, and my heart breaks for my little siblings who will grow up with climate impacts that prevent them from enjoying the same Colorado that I know and love.
Mountains in Boulder, Colorado. Photos by Peter Jackson.
So today, I remind the Supreme Court that its decision shapes children’s health outcomes, lives, and constitutional rights, and I implore it to allow the case to proceed on the merits in Colorado State Court for the future of Colorado children. Thank you.