The Power of an Intergenerational Movement in the Fight for a Safe, Livable Climate
April 21, 2025
Delaney Reynolds, lead plaintiff in Reynolds v. Florida Public Service Commission. Photo by Robin Loznak
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.
1. What has it been like working with Andrea over the years, and how has your collaboration shaped your understanding of climate justice and legal advocacy?
Working with Andrea has honestly been one of the most impactful and inspiring parts of my journey in the climate justice movement.
I met her when I was just 16 years old, and I was just stepping into the world of climate litigation with our very first lawsuit. And at the time, I knew that I wanted to make a difference, but I didn't yet know how the law could be a tool for systemic change. And Andrea opened that door for me. Her expertise, her dedication, and personal investment in this work, rooted in her own family history of environmental advocacy and legal work, taught me that the courtroom can be a place of hope and justice, not just bureaucracy and frustration, as so many know it to be.
She's become more than a legal advisor to me. She's a mentor and a friend. I've worked with her on an externship, through our work on the lawsuit against the state and the rule petition, and now our efforts to hold the Florida Public Service Commission accountable.
Andrea has really helped me see how legal advocacy intersects with science and public engagement, and moral responsibility. And so that's also played a big role in my decision to go to law school, and now what my PhD dissertation is shaping up to be, which focuses on science policy and the law.
She's helped me to not only figure out where I want to go in life, but also what it means to not just fight for young people, but with them.
2. What are some tangible ways that intergenerational collaboration has made your work stronger or more impactful?
Intergenerational collaboration has been the backbone of my work since I got involved with climate change. I started a nonprofit, the Sink or Swim Project, when I was 15. I've been driven by the urgency of climate change and the lack of action from adults in charge. But I quickly realized that if we are going to win this fight, if we're going to solve our climate change crisis, we have to work across generations, not just speak past each other.
And so having people like Andrea, Dick Jacobs, and the entire team at our Children's Trust as allies by my side has helped open doors that might have stayed closed — from access to government officials to navigating legal systems that are often intimidating for young people. Our collaboration has really amplified the youth voice, not just mine, but that of my fellow plaintiffs as well.
At the same time, we bring a sense of urgency, of fresh perspective and boldness that challenges the conventional thinking that sometimes can slow things down. So, whether it's testifying in Tallahassee or drafting legal challenges, we make each other better and the impact is real.
We've brought youth-led lawsuits to the forefront of Florida's political and legal landscape, we have sparked public conversations about energy justice and demanded regulatory accountability, and none of that would've been possible without the wisdom and experience of Andrea and the team at Our Children's Trust, and the fire of the youth working together.
Delaney speaking at a press conference in Florida. Photo by Robin Loznak
3. How do you balance honoring the work of previous generations with pushing for bold, transformative change that might challenge the status quo that they built?
It's a delicate balance, honoring the work of previous generations while pushing for transformative change, and I deeply respect the environmental advocates who came before me. People like Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, who fought for the Everglades — she laid the foundation for a lot of the work that we do today, and leaders like Andrea are carrying that torch in the legal space.
But at the same time, we're in a different era. The climate change crisis has accelerated, and so must our solutions. So, honoring previous generations means learning from their victories as well as their limitations. It also means having the courage to question policies, structures, and norms that are no longer sufficient for the moment that we live in.
And when we challenge the status quo as youth, we have to do it with respect, but also with resolve because we know every second counts, and the cost of delay is measured in lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems lost. So, I think most of the leaders that I admire would welcome that challenge because they know that progress has always required some level of boldness.
4. Both you and Andrea have spent years advocating for the next generation. How do you think this long-term collaboration between generations creates a stronger, more sustainable movement for climate justice?
I think that sustainable movements, while often born from outrage, are built on relationships, trust, and continuity, and that's what the collaboration between Our Children's Trust and my fellow plaintiffs and I represents. When Andrea and I work to file a lawsuit, give a talk like we have at different universities and push for regulatory change, we're not just doing it for a headline; we're doing it as groundwork for everybody that will come after us, the future generations.
Our partnership shows that when young people are trusted and empowered, and when experienced advocates step up to mentor and support rather than gatekeepers, the results are pretty powerful.
We've seen that here in Florida with Rule 505. We've seen that in Montana and Hawai‘i. We're seeing it across the globe, and Andrea and I specifically have been in this fight together for almost a decade, which is crazy, but we're still pushing forward with new tools, new strategies, renewed energy, and our collaboration at this point isn't just professional, it's personal.
We're bonded by a shared commitment to justice and a shared belief in the power of youth to lead. And that connection is what makes movements resilient in the face of setbacks.
Attorney Andrea Rodgers (right), Delaney Reynolds (middle), and former Reynolds v. Florida youth plaintiffs, who together enacted Chapter 5O-5: Renewable Energy rule in Florida in 2022
5. You're at the forefront of a movement for climate justice. How do you envision young people in the next generation continuing the fight you started? And what message would you give to young people about the importance of intergenerational collaboration?
The next generation gives me so much hope. They are the reason why I think we truly will be able to solve our climate change crisis. They're creative, they're fearless, they're not afraid to call out injustice, whether it's in the courtroom, on the streets, or through digital platforms.
I honestly see them continuing this fight with even more sophistication and new tools that arise, and more urgency than ever before. But I hope they know that they don't have to do it alone.
So, my message to young people is this: you are powerful now, no matter what your age is. Don't wait to be invited to the table. Build your own or take a seat anyways. But also remember that this fight is too big for any one generation. So, find your allies, learn from the past. Lean on mentors like I have with Andrea. Build movements that can span decades, not just news cycles, because intergenerational collaboration is not about compromise. It's about synergy. When we work together, the movement becomes not just louder, but deeper and stronger, and that is how we win.