Settlement talks fail in Oregon youths’ anti-US climate suit

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon-based youth climate activists say settlement talks with the U.S. Department of Justice have failed, six years after they first filed a federal lawsuit in Eugene.

The 21 plaintiffs alleged in the original lawsuit against the U.S. that they have a constitutional right to a climate that sustains life and that the government's actions have encouraged a fossil fuel economy despite scientific warnings about global warming.

After failed negotiations, the plaintiffs want a judge to allow an amended case to go to trial.

The action comes as world leaders, including President Joe Biden, meet in Scotland to grapple with climate change.

“These 21 young people have been stonewalled, delayed, and obstructed by their own government for six years now,” the plaintiffs’ attorney, Julia Olson, said in a statement. “These young people have been waiting six years to have their evidence heard and the issues determined by a court of law. When will our government act like the global leaders they claim to be and let these youth be heard?”

Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/climate-joe-biden-oregon-united-states-us-department-of-justice-1e09cf1e8cfdb826f49008b595345ab0