By Susan Messer
“YOUTH v GOV” is the story of America’s youth taking on the world’s most powerful government. Since 2015, 21 plaintiffs, now ages 13 to 24, have been suing the U.S. government for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty, personal safety, and property through its willful actions in creating the climate crisis these young people will inherit.
Q: How did you become focused on this story, of all the many, many possible ones about environmental issues?
Christi: In 2011, I began working on short films in which I followed young people who were suing state governments over climate issues, and I got to know the lead plaintiffs and the lawyers who were representing them. I became increasingly interested in climate litigation, into understanding the legal framework. Because I was already connected with the legal team and plaintiffs, I began following Juliana vs. The United States, the case featured in the film. Then, in April 2016, the plaintiffs got a really good decision—upholding their right to pursue the case, and I knew this was an opportunity, so I dropped everything else to pursue it. We finished the film in October 2020. Although the case is not over, we felt it was imperative to get the story out.
Q: Tell me about the plaintiffs.
Director Christi Cooper
Christi: There are 21 of them, from nine states. Some had been in previous state cases. Kelsey Juliana, the named plaintiff, had experience in climate litigation in her home state of Oregon. Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, a Colorado plaintiff, had been a climate activist since he was six years old; he’s a natural leader, and he and Kelsey had connections to other youth they’d met through their activism, others who had experienced climate harms. Jacob, the last one to join, had been fighting a pipeline in Oregon. This is a remarkable group of young people—so poised and committed. Through them, we get to see the real and deep concerns young people have around the future. Older generations hadn’t thought about the future in the same way.
Q: How did the young plaintiffs deal with the intersection between their passionate activism and the sometimes-inscrutable procedures of the legal system?
Christi: The legal team has done a great job of explaining the complicated legal details and mechanics of the case with the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs have taken a leading role in where the case has gone, and they’ve all come together as a kind of family unit—giving talks at conferences, marching together at the climate demonstration in DC. They have a deep understanding of their claims, and which of their constitutional rights have been violated. They understand that this case is not about government inaction on climate change; it’s about actions the government has actually taken. Our government has known about the dangers of climate change for more than fifty years. And despite that, it has pursued reckless and dangerous fossil fuel development, harming the health of our communities and threatening our futures.
Q: What surprised you in the making of this film—about anything, people, issues, challenges?
Producer Olivia Ahnemann
Olivia: For me, it was learning the history—seeing how long the US government has been perpetuating the climate crisis by propping up the oil industry. Many people would have thought that, say, Obama would have been doing everything in his power to fight the crisis, but government support for the fossil fuel industry dates back to the 1950s and 60s, and it’s come from both parties, all administrations. Some presidents we might consider of least danger to the environment have locked us into a fossil fuel economy. The deep dive I took with this film showed me how little say we as citizens have had in what’s transpired.
Christi: I was reminded of the role courts play in our government. We sometimes forget that they’re an equal branch, and many of us are unaware of the questions they are considering on a daily basis, the extent to which multiple levels of the federal court system can affect big societal issues. I also was surprised to see the lengths the Trump Administration went to, to make sure these youth stories were not told. The Department of Justice took unprecedented legal actions to keep the case from going to trial. As just one example, in October of 2018, just 10 days before the scheduled trial, government attorneys filed a motion with the US Supreme Court, seeking to prevent the case from going forward. In the meantime, the whole film team had moved to Oregon for the trial, which did not take place. Following a legal case is difficult. You don’t know where it’s going, how long any phase of it will take.
Q: Did you or the plaintiffs face pushback from those who deny climate change?
Christi: Yes. One plaintiff—Vic—has a father who doesn’t believe in climate change, and that became part of the story. Other plaintiffs lost friends, were ostracized, or did not feel supported by parents who were skeptics or climate-change deniers. Our goal, however, was not to convince people that climate change exists. That’s a hard thing to do. We wanted to open up a conversation, see whether we could open hearts by showing the passion and commitment of these young people. Vic’s father hasn’t embraced the science, but the back-and-forth with his son is a good example of family members digging into topics they disagree on. And in fact, I faced this conflict in my own family, with my stepfather. As he learned more, he became increasingly open to hearing the facts.
Q: What’s next?
YOUTH v GOV
Christi: Well, in the legal case, a motion is now pending in the Ninth Circuit.* Plus the film is now in the impact-campaign stage, meaning that we are using the film as a tool for change, as a way to engage and support young people in holding the government accountable for environmental damage. We’ve made a film that is as nonpartisan as possible, and we want people to feel empowered by the knowledge they gain from it. We hope that adults who watch the film will gain a deeper understanding of what these young people are facing, how we as adults can step up to support them. It’s not their problem to solve alone.
* Note: Later on the day we spoke, the Ninth Circuit Court rejected the plaintiffs’ latest petition for review, so the plaintiffs will now appeal their case to the US Supreme Court.
After the screening, stay connected to discuss the film with:
Welcome: Kaleigh Clarke, One Earth Youth Screenings Team and High School Student
Facilitator: Brandon Pineda, One Earth Youth Screenings Team and High School Student
Filmmaker: Christi Cooper, Director, "YOUTH v GOV"
Panelists:
Isaac Vergun, Film Subject/Youth Plaintiff, "YOUTH v GOV"
Alexia Henderson, Chicago Youth Alliance for Climate Action