Youth v Gov

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

Whitney Houston sang it best in “The Greatest Love of All” – the children are our future and they’re leading the way to make sure that there’s a future for those after them. Christi Cooper’s film Youth v Gov examines the case of Juliana v. The United States of America and how our youth is utilizing their voice to take a stand over the issue of climate change. And, more importantly, reminding many that everyone deserves to have their voice heard when it comes to their own health and safety—no matter your age.

Back in August 2015 The Children’s Trust helped twenty-one individuals (then ages 11-22) file a lawsuit against the Obama Administration over the issue of climate change and how the government’s inability to address the growing issue has caused problems that their generation will now have to endure. In what starts as a stand-off between the government and the Plaintiffs evolves into a larger discussion of how fifty plus years of the government brushing off any evidence of global warming has caused potential irreparable damage. And as administrations shift and the defendants get craftier in trying to get the case dismissed, Cooper puts a spotlight on the children and how this issue has changed the way they view the world.

For some it was flooding destroying their homes and belongings and others their health issues continuing to get worse. And for all of them there was a sense that protecting their home is vital to keep our planet thriving for generations to come. Yet even though the children are willing to go the distance the courts are not and the case is dismissed before going to trial. But the fight is not over—it will never be over if climate change remains a problem.

While the issue of climate change and global warming is disconcerting, Christi Cooper has found a way to bring one of the most important issues to the forefront through the eyes we need the most: children. Children have been at the forefront of some of the biggest issues such as education, healthcare and civil rights. So why not global warming as well? Cooper has the plaintiffs front and center in Youth v Gov to tell their stories and lead the charge by example.

Kelsey Cascadia Rose Juliana, the plaintiff whose name appears first on the case title, has made it her mission in life to act like her parents Catia and Tim. And while Kelsey initially believes that being a one-girl revolution will get the job done, she realizes that “to change everything, it takes everyone.” Jacob Lebel tries to lead by example as he tends to the farm at home. The youngest Plaintiff Levi laments over the loss of the giant tree that has come down after Hurricane Irma destroys his neighborhood, then proudly joins protest after protest with his fellow Plaintiffs to make their case.

Just as compelling is the evidence that The Children’s Trust is ready to present for trial before the case is dismissed. To take the defendants to task, the Plaintiff’s counsel manages to thumb through books upon books of climate change reports that many of the experts have kept in their homes. The experts involved range from names as Nicky Sundt who worked on some of the early climate change studies for the government to Dr. James Hansen who sounded alarm bells in the 1980’s about the climate crisis. Experts that have tried to convince the government that something needed to be done and yet those pleas fell on deaf ears while fossil fuels remained king. And, to this day, that information continues to take a backseat to the need for profit over protection.

During the documentary Plaintiff Vic Barrett has butted heads with his father Kevin on the issue of climate change. While Vic finds it frustrating that his father does not believe there is a problem and refuses to change his mind, his father uses his own opinion as a teaching tool to Vic that to make big changes he will have to convince men like his father that there is an issue. And even though by the end of the documentary the group of Plaintiffs need to regroup and keep finding another way, Kevin finally starts to see what Vic is fighting for and asks him to teach him more about the issue at hand—proof that there is hope to make a difference.

For more information on the film, please visit http://www.YouthvGovFilm.com.