‘Hope is a discipline’: youth climate case plaintiff on why he’s suing the US government
Nathan Baring is a third-generation Alaskan and climate activist. He is also a plaintiff in Juliana v United States, a lawsuit brought by 21 young Americans who say the US government “willfully ignored” the dangers of burning fossil fuels, which violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights to life, liberty and property, and failed to protect public trust resources. If successful, the case could result in a declaration that the nation’s pro-fossil fuel policies are unconstitutional, which the plaintiffs hope could lead to policy changes.
The case, first filed in 2015, has faced numerous obstacles, including a dismissal in 2020 by a US court of appeals. The plaintiffs’ lawyers amended their case, and in June a federal judge in Oregon ruled the lawsuit can finally proceed to trial. A date has not yet been set.
In August, a Montana judge issued a landmark ruling in favor of youth plaintiffs who brought a similar climate lawsuit against the Montana government.
Yet Juliana still faces an uphill battle.
The Biden administration said the Montana ruling should have no bearing on Juliana. But Baringtold the Guardian in November he still thinks the lawsuit could succeed.
Baring, who in his day job works with Native reindeer herders, spoke with the Guardian about the Montana ruling, the Juliana case and the state of youth-led climate suits. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
How did you become aware of the climate crisis?
My mom was born and raised in Homer, a small fishing community on the south-central coast of Alaska. My grandparents moved there before statehood back in the 50s. We’ve been here for a while, though that’s nothing whatsoever compared to Native communities.
It’s incredible the changes that have happened within my lifetime. When I was growing up, it used to be very normal to have two-week periods of 40below temperatures during the winter. Now it seems like it’s rare that we get those temperatures at all.