In June 2023, 16 young people made history in the US as their lawsuit against the state of Montana became the first youth-led constitutional case to reach trial. They argued that Montana's permissive approach to approving fossil fuel projects violated their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment.
They won. Now, some of these young activists are taking on Trump.
In this espied of Climate Court Voices, we speak with Rikki Held – lead plaintiff on the Held v Montana case and a plaintiff in a new lawsuit against the Trump administration, and Nate Billinger – senior staff attorney at our Children's Trust, the non-profit law firm behind the two climate lawsuits.
They discuss the increasing role of youth in climate litigation battles and how the US has changed under the second Trump administration.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:38) Climate change in Montana
(06:16) Held v Montana
(07:57) Going to trial
(11:47) Young plaintiffs score historic win
(14:06) Appeal and second victory
(15:05) US climate policy under Trump
(18:57) Trump is bringing back coal
(19:36) Lighthiser v Trump
(22:53) Case dismissed and appeal
(24:26) Rule of law under Trump
(27:29) Role of youth in climate litigation
(29:40) Rikki's advice for young climate activists
In 2019, 19 young activists sued the South Korean government over its inaction on climate change. Five years later, they achieved the impossible: the Constitutional Court of Korea declared the government's climate plan unconstitutional and insufficient for protecting the rights of its citizens. It was the first climate litigation ruling of its kind outside of Europe.
In this episode of Climate Court Voices, we speak with Sejong Youn, the attorney behind what became known as the Korean Litigation Case. A lawyer by profession, he is also the co-founder and director of Plan 1.5, a non-profit organization that advocates for better and stronger climate policy in South Korea.
He discusses how this youth-led effort is advancing the country's climate action movement, the challenges of working on the country's first-ever climate court case, and the critical role of legal precedents in furthering global climate litigation.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:17) Plaintiffs' arguments
(04:51) Preparing the case
(07:36) The first major victory
(08:03) How the youth led Korea's climate movement
(11:33) Verdict
(15:04) Lobbying the government and political crisis
(17:14) An important legal precedent
(19:48) Sejong's thoughts on climate litigation
On July 23, 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will present its long-awaited advisory opinion on the obligations of states regarding climate change. The court was asked to clarify the legal duties of countries under international law to protect the climate system and address the impacts of climate change, particularly for present and future generations.
29-year-old Vishal Prasad has been part of the ICJ advisory opinion movement since 2019. Born and raised in Fiji, one of 14 Pacific small island developing states , Vishal is Director of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, the youth-led movement behind the ICJ advisory opinion campaign.
In this episode of Climate Court Voices, he explains what it means to be a Fijian, how he got into climate activism, why an advisory opinion is the best instrument to hold governments accountable, and what we can expect from the court's decision.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:46) Climate change in the Pacific
(06:05) ICJAO campaign
(07:29) Why an advisory opinion?
(10:22) Hearings in The Hague
(13:23) Questions for the ICJ
(14:51) Divisions between developed and developing countries
(19:49) Expectations and what's next?
(23:10) Vishal's message for climate activists
